COP 21 & Climate Change Policy in Latin America
Though the COP21 negotiations promise to be complex, they also present an opportunity for the region to address existing vulnerabilities.
Analysis
Peace and the Environment in Colombia
Peace in Colombia promises to bring many environmental benefits to the country, but also poses environmental risks .
Rousseff’s Visit to Washington
Rousseff’s upcoming visit presents an important opportunity to advance the global climate agenda.
Peace and Environmental Protection in Colombia
Colombia should integrate environmental considerations into its rural economic development plans to avoid an increase in deforestation associated with the post-conflict transition.
A conversation with Colombian Environment Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo
As Colombia begins the multi-year process of implementing last year’s peace accord, it is vital to balance environmental conservation with the need for sustainable economic development.
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Colombia expands national parks and ethnic community lands
Under President Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian government has vastly expanded protected areas, creating new national parks and providing land titles to indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in the Amazon, Chocó and other important forest regions. However, many challenges remain. National parks and indigenous and Afro-Colombian lands continue to be threatened by illegal occupation, coca cultivation and illegal gold mining.
Brazil Was a Global Leader on Climate Change. Now It’s a Threat.
Brazil should build on its impressive efforts in renewable energy, clean transport, and deforestation reduction. But as President Jair Bolsonaro assumes power, one of the world’s largest economies is on the verge of relinquishing its role as an environmental leader and retreating from the fight against climate change.
Nearing the Tipping Point: Drivers of Deforestation in the Amazon Region
The largest tropical rainforest on the planet, the Amazon plays a critical role as a storehouse of carbon and mediator of the global water cycle and holds a greater share of the world’s known biodiversity than any other ecosystem. However, unchecked development is placing the Amazon under threat, pushing deforestation rates to near-record levels throughout the region.
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Avoiding the Amazon Rainforest Tipping Point
Deforestation rates in the Amazon River Basin have risen to near-record levels in recent years, threatening biodiversity and indigenous lands as well as global climate change efforts and weather patterns in the Amazon region and beyond. The lack of governance across Amazonian nations is a primary factor behind countries’ failure to stem forest loss, said experts at an event launching a new Inter-American Dialogue report on May 29.
How to Save the Amazon Rainforest
Countries in the Amazon Basin are falling behind on their targets to cut deforestation. Environmental enforcement combined with economic incentives could provide a way forward, write Lisa Viscidi and Enrique Ortiz in this op-ed.
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Amazon Fires: Bolsonaro Says Brazil Cannot Fight Them
As wildfires rage in the Brazilian portion of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro finds himself under increased international scrutiny. Program Director Lisa Viscidi comments for BBC World News on Bolsonaro’s policies toward the Amazon.
Do the Amazon Fires Point the Way for Future International Efforts to Combat Climate Change?
The fires in the Amazon expose the very heart of the greatest collective action problem that humanity has faced, and it foreshadows harder battles to come. The actions of each individual country have consequences for the global climate, yet perpetrators are loath to make sacrifices when others, especially those with equal or greater responsibility, are not doing the same. The fact that threats of economic punishment seem to have shifted Brazil’s behavior suggests that a similar approach could be taken to address climate change on a larger scale. But it will not be easy, especially where the biggest emitters are concerned.
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El cambio climático en Latinoamérica: Impactos y compromisos a combatirlo
La directora del Programa de Energía, Cambio Climático e Industrias Extractivas, Lisa Viscidi, habló con CNN en Español sobre el cambio climático, sus impactos en América Latina y el nivel de compromiso de países en la región a esfuerzos internacionales para combatirlo.
How Well Is Brazil’s Military Fighting Deforestation?
A Latin America Advisor Q&A on the deployment of Brazil’s military to combat deforestation in the Amazon.
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Viscidi: Biden’s climate foreign policy “should start with Latin America”
On February 2, the Embassy of Argentina in the United States and the World Resources Institute hosted an event at which Lisa Viscidi spoke about how the Biden administration could engage with Argentina, and with Latin America and the Caribbean more broadly, on areas such as clean energy, climate change adaptation, and conservation.