The CDL’s Guy Edwards contributed to the October 7, 2015 edition of the Inter-American Dialogue’s Latin America Advisor in response to the following questions:
Are the Argentine-born pontiff’s appeals on climate change hitting home for policy makers in the Americas? Will the global climate change conference set to take place this December in Paris get a boost from the Pope’s efforts? Which countries have succeeded in making substantial efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and which countries need to be more aggressive in their efforts to combat climate change? Are there any regional alliances that might be particularly fruitful on this front?
Are the Argentine-born pontiff’s appeals on climate change hitting home for policy makers in the Americas? Will the global climate change conference set to take place this December in Paris get a boost from the Pope’s efforts? Which countries have succeeded in making substantial efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and which countries need to be more aggressive in their efforts to combat climate change? Are there any regional alliances that might be particularly fruitful on this front?
“The May release of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ was especially well-timed prior to his South American tour in July and latest trip to Cuba, the United States and the United Nations. The pope’s intervention illustrates forcibly that climate change is a real threat today. He is explicit about the need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy—the most important way to tackle global warming due to the energy sector’s colossal carbon footprint. The pope’s message also reinforces Latin American citizens’ concern about climate change and environmental issues. Latin American leaders have responded positively to the pope’s interventions, and his contribution has given the global climate debate a novel boost before the Paris climate talks. A central part of a new climate agreement beginning in 2020 will be countries’ national climate plans, or Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), which are being submitted to the United Nations. These pledges indicate how countries will reduce their emissions and adapt to climate impacts. A new agreement can catalyze climate action in Latin America, and the INDCs are a key way to support country efforts to forge a path toward low-carbon and resilient sustainable development. Brazil announced that it will reduce its emissions by 37 percent by 2025 and by 43 percent by 2030, with a base year of 2005. Other countries, including Mexico and Costa Rica, are making important offers. It is unclear whether the ALBA countries will submit their INDCs; not doing so would be a huge missed opportunity for their national climate policies and would risk undermining their negotiating positions in Paris. CELAC is more active than before on climate change, but whether it can move beyond lofty statements and delve deeper into formulating common positions on climate change by Latin American countries is a tall order, given some of the very real differences between countries.”
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