What is Latin America's Stake in the Climate Change Debate?

Q: World leaders are meeting this month in Copenhagen to discuss a new global agreement on climate change. What is at stake for Latin America with regard to the issue of climate change? Will the region play a big role in advancing (or hindering) a new global climate agreement? What are the best paths forward for countries of the region on this issue, and what, from a Latin American perspective, should a new global agreement entail? Can steps that some of the countries of the world have taken to fight climate change be replicated in Latin America and vice versa? If so, which? How would such a deal impact Latin American economies and regional trade flows?


A: Alicia Bárcena, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean: "We are at a vital crossroads with regard to fighting global warming: We either continue on the path of multilateral negotiations based on shared values, agreed timetables and proportional efforts or we embark on a path of unilateral national initiatives that do not distinguish between relative levels of development and only obey the rules of the market. In June, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Clean Energy and Security Act, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent in 2020 as compared to 2005. This legislation, which is still pending approval in the Senate, would establish compensatory tariffs on carbon-intensive goods, such as steel, cement, paper and glass, imported from countries the United States considers as not doing enough to reduce their emissions. In France, the information on the carbon footprint of products and their packaging, as well as their consumption or potential environmental impact, will be mandatory as of January 2011. These unilateral measures could mean that the efforts and responsibility for mitigating the effects of climate change may shift from north to south, and could turn into a new obstacle to the economic growth of developing countries. In Latin America, awareness about the trade relevance of the carbon footprint is just now emerging and the region should take it very seriously in designing its public policies and long-term economic planning. If addressed in a timely and comprehensive manner, this may be an opportunity to begin decarbonizing the energy matrix, renew infrastructure, improve productive processes and gradually move towards a development model with less carbon content. What we expect from Copenhagen is a renewed global agreement, with clear, binding commitments from industrialized countries, with explicit intentions on the part of emerging nations and financial mechanisms and technologies to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 20 and 40 percent by 2020 as compared to 1990 levels."



A: Santiago Levy, vice president for Sectors and Knowledge at the Inter-American Development Bank: "Without urgent and decisive action, climate change could undermine decades of development progress in Latin America and the Caribbean region and efforts to achieve the millennium development goals. Addressing this global challenge is a central theme for the region. Some climate change impacts cannot be reversed and will have major economic consequences. The region urgently needs to enhance its capacity to adapt to climate change. For instance, the effect on the tropical glaciers of the Andean region will change the timing and intensity of water availability for agriculture or energy production. Although Latin America and the Caribbean account for a relatively small share of global emissions (12 percent), measures to mitigate climate help achieve other development priorities as well. Mitigation actions are closely linked to sustainable land and forest management, cleaner energy (including geothermal, biomass or hydro power), and efficient urban transport. The agreements in Copenhagen, and countries' ability to show that they can address climate change, could affect access to new financial and investment flows in a number of areas, ranging from energy, agriculture and water resources to health, forestry and coastal zones. The Inter-American Development Bank is committed to mainstreaming climate change across its portfolio. We are working closely with ministries across the hemisphere on this core development issue to develop the types of comprehensive programs that are needed. We provide technical and financial support for designing and implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation programs. These include the use of carbon markets, guarantees, debt and equity products, as well as analytical advisory services, financial and investment planning, risk management and capacity building."



A: Andrew E. Miller, human rights campaigner at Amazon Watch in Washington: "Fortunately for Latin America, few of its countries made the World Bank's recent list of those most vulnerable to increased flooding, storms, drought and food insecurity. Predicted climate change impacts in the region, however, are serious. The melting of Peru's glaciers, for example, means likely water shortages within several decades for the country's growing population. International discussions about mitigating climate change since Kyoto have included the new eco-nomenclature of reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, REDD. In short, the theory is to make forests more economically valuable standing than chopped down. The notion has found powerful supporters amongst governments, businesspeople (dreaming of a potential multi-billion dollar carbon market), multilateral banks, and large-scale conservation organizations. Given the Amazon rainforest's unique and recognized value in regulating climate, sequestering carbon and providing other environmental services like creating water and air, there is widespread agreement that it must be saved. REDD is seen by many as a panacea. Not everyone, however, is a REDD partisan. Many indigenous peoples, understandably, are skeptical that the latest silver bullet is really in their interest. In fact, serious concerns have arisen that implementation of REDD could counteract fundamental indigenous rights, in the same way that countless conservation schemes have limited local subsistence activities and led to displacement around the world. Recent clashes in Peru and Ecuador around who controls natural resources might well portend ominously for implementation of REDD projects in indigenous territories. At climate change negotiations, indigenous leaders have been advocating for the explicit inclusion of their rights in the treaty coming out of the Copenhagen summit. Enlightened proponents of climate change mitigation efforts impacting indigenous lands—a significant part of the Amazon—would do well to heed their call." 



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***Republished with permission from the Inter-American Dialogue's daily Latin America Advisor newsletter.