With only days remaining until the U.N. Climate Summit (COP 26) in Glasgow, the debate in Washington over infrastructure and budget reconciliation will have global implications, especially as it concerns the climate crisis.
To limit the increase in the global average temperature, finance ministries in Latin America and the Caribbean have to take climate action to the next level.
Unprecedented growth will be driven by Guyana’s recent discovery of 9 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas. Despite the optimism, Guyana’s surge will also coincide with a world in which fossil fuels are losing favor.
The following interview between Global Americans’ Executive Director Guy Mentel and Francisco J. Monaldi took place this week as the Biden-Harris administration moves to combat climate change and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt global oil markets.
The Colombian government has hinted at its interest in attracting the private sector to collaborate on its plans for energy transition, green growth, and environmental protection, but has not yet spent the time and political capital that will be necessary to get industrial interests on board. Will President Duque seize the moment? And will the private sector take the lead or take a backseat, waiting until Colombia’s political environment changes?
Relations between the United States and much of Latin America are recovering after hitting rock bottom under former US President Donald Trump. But while President Joe Biden’s administration is focusing on the Central American migration crisis, it must not miss the opportunity to drive urgently needed climate action to help the region rebuild after the pandemic.
Colombia’s ambitious new pledge aims to reduce its emissions by 51 percent compared to projected emissions in 2030 and reduce black carbon or soot emissions by 40 percent compared to 2014. The new target is consistent with the Paris Agreement’s goal and has put Colombia on a more promising path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Given Latin America and the Caribbean’s vulnerability to climate change, its leaders are closely watching how the incoming Biden administration will recalibrate the United States’ environmental policy to see whether the Western Hemisphere will make diplomacy and multilateralism great again.
The impacts left by Hurricane Iota on the islands of San Andrés and Providencia has added to the sense of dread and abandonment by the central government long felt by the residents of the archipelago. Although the government’s response to the crisis has been swift, there is a sense that more could have been done to mitigate the risks from hurricanes and extreme weather caused by climate change.
