Climate change in Nicaragua

Climate change has significant implications for the Central American country of Nicaragua. Climate change will cause Nicaragua to become hotter and drier during the 21st century, with one 2020 study predicting temperatures in the country may become uninhabitable for humans by 2070.[1]

Satellite image of drought conditions in Nicaragua, 2015.

As with other countries in Central America, the effects of climate change are thought to be a contributing factor to emigration from Nicaragua.[2] Coffee production is also affected by rising temperatures, leading to some farmers experimenting with different varieties to make their crops more resilient.[3]

Nicaragua is a party of the Kyoto Protocol[4] and ratified the Paris Agreement in 2017.[5] The country was initially one of few countries not to ratify the agreement, due to its climate envoy Paul Oquist's opposition to nationally determined contributions being voluntary.[4] In 2022, the country also approved a national climate change policy, which focuses on addressing climate change through health, water management, conservation and sustainable resource use.[6]