Latin America Moves Towards Decarbonising the Economy
Latin America Moves Towards Decarbonising the Economy
By Fabiola Ortiz
RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 14 2014 (IPS) - When the advances made towards curbing global warming are analysed in the first 12 days of December in Lima, during the 20th climate conference, Latin America will present some achievements, as well as the many challenges it faces in “decarbonising development”.
Experts consulted by IPS said that during the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP20) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) the region will be able to point to progress in reducing deforestation in the Amazon jungle, especially in the Brazilian portion where forest loss was reduced 80 percent in the last decade, according to official sources.
But they say Latin America’s focus should be the “decarbonisation” of the economy, limiting the share of fossil fuels and other sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the energy mix, in order to mitigate the impact of climate change, as demanded by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its fifth report, launched Nov. 2.
“We can break with the idea that it is always difficult to reach a consensus in Latin America,” the head of Friends of the Earth Brazil, Roberto Smeraldi, told IPS. “There is a diversity of new experiences; the region is a laboratory of learning with respect to climate change.”
In his view, new alliances must be created by means of bilateral and regional accords, aimed at strengthening the position of Latin American countries in the negotiations among the parties, both in Lima and along the road that is to lead to a new climate treaty a year later in Paris.
More:
http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/11/latin-america-discusses-decarbonising-the-economy/
