Varying Portrayals of Climate Change and Water Stress in Bolivia, Seen Through Science and Journalism

In many ways, populations in developing countries are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than those in wealthier, industrialized cultures. And in the Andes of South America, this vulnerability can be seen particularly clearly in the poor nation of Bolivia. As the effects of climate change become increasingly destructive to the water supply and traditional ways of life in Bolivia, and as Bolivian president Evo Morales becomes more vocal and impassioned at international climate change conferences, the literature analyzing Bolivia’s problem is increasing. The current array of scholarly literature about climate change in Bolivia details the climate-related processes behind the water stress, focusing on ways for Bolivian cultures to adapt to climate change. Contemporary journalistic literature on the subject, however, focuses primarily on portraying current conditions for people in Bolivia who are being affected by climate change, particularly indigenous Bolivians. Through the study of these two bodies of literature, this analysis aims to show the lack of the valuable social context within the technical climate change reports that influence national policies within Bolivia, a country that will feel climate change’s effects much sooner and much more intensely than most.