On April 18 the Climate and Development Lab organized a panel entitled “Leader or Spoiler: Where next for Brazil’s Climate Policy?” The panel was part of Brown University’s first annual international symposium on sustainable development in Brazil held at the Watson Institute.

The CDL’s Professor Timmons Roberts chaired the discussion with leading experts: Professor Eduardo Viola (University of Brasilia), Natalie Unterstell (Kennedy School of Government at Harvard), Professor Kathryn Hochstetler (University of Waterloo) and Carlos Rittl (Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Climate Observatory). 

The Summit of the Americas in Panama this week could produce public performances worthy of an Academy award nomination. Following recent efforts to re-establish diplomatic ties between the US and Cuba, presidents Obama and Castro may stage a carefully choreographed handshake. This eagerly anticipated moment could usher in a new chapter of US – Latin American relations as leaders south of the Rio Grande have repeatedly called for an end to US aggression against Cuba.

However, Venezuelan President Maduro could upset the party by criticising recent US sanctions against Venezuela, which have been unanimously rejected by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Yet beyond the theatrics, there could be very important diplomatic exchanges behind the scenes, which could prove pivotal for the world’s response to global climate change.