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It’s Time to See Yourself as a Climate Victim – Global Issues

A worker carries trees planted during a reforestation project in Nova M’s, Brazil, 2020. Latin America is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, but adaptation and mitigation projects. is on the rise in the region (Source: Alexandre Meneghini / Alamy)
  • by Alejandra Cuellar (square meter)
  • Associated Press Service

As these events have increased in frequency and intensity, they have also motivated millions migrate. With the region’s average temperature expected to increase above the global averagethese converging crises are is expected to deepen in the coming decades.

As the next UN climate summit, COP27, approaches, it becomes clear that Latin America needs support from the global community. In a region beset by economic struggles, there have long been calls for financial instruments to support multifaceted efforts to combat climate change, both at the local and national levels. sector – the calls are likely to grow louder as more tools are left behind. upset by progress at last year’s COP26 conference.

But a simultaneous change in tone is being seen from some corners in Latin America ahead of the summit, scheduled to be held in Egypt in November, with prominent voices calling for the region to sector plays its own, increasingly assertive role in climate negotiations, and in promoting climate action from home.

Climate impact in Latin America

The WMO report reveals some alarming data about the impact a warming world and climate change have had on Latin America. For example, ice River in the tropical Andes has lost almost 30% of its area since the 1980s, increasing the risk of water scarcity for populations and ecosystems in the region – and flood risk to the communities near them.

By 2021, sea levels in the region, particularly on the Atlantic side, will also rise at a faster rate than the global average, increasing the threats of flooding, freshwater pollution and rising water levels. due to storms in coastal areas where a large part of the population is concentrated. .

The report also highlights Chile is increasing the great drought, has now entered its thirteenth year, which is the longest and harshest year in a thousand years. The worsening drying trend is forcing the country’s authorities to urgently improve water management, such as Tensions increased in some areas of the countryand solve power supply problems to address the shortfall in hydroelectricity production – a source that previously generated a significant portion of its electricity.

Overall, in South America, drought contributed to a 2.6% reduction in cereal harvests for 2020–2021, compared with the previous season, WMO reports. Threats to the region’s agricultural output – and by extension economics – are combined by heat wave.

In releasing the first edition of WMO’s “State of the Climate” report for the region in 2021, WMO’s secretary general, Petteri Taalas, stated emphasize Latin America and the Caribbean “are among the regions most challenged by extreme hydrometeorological events” – an assertion only further emphasized by this year’s update.

Taalas pointed to a number of recent extreme weather events, highlighting “the death and devastation from hurricanes Eta and Iota in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, as well as severe drought and unusual fire season.” usually in the Pantanal region of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. “

The Secretary-General adds that the notable impacts of these events include “water and energy shortages, agricultural damage, displacement and compromised health and safety”, all are all “complex challenges” of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the recuperation from it.

Standing up in adversity

Latin American and Caribbean countries occupy less than 10% annual greenhouse gas emissions globally, with the majority of their contribution coming from energy field, Agriculture and land use change. However, with increasing exposure to extreme events and above-average rates of change, the region is bearing the brunt of emissions from larger polluters.

However, some attendees have had a change in tone recently. Latin American and Caribbean Climate Week, held in the Dominican Republic in July. Some experts want to ensure that Latin America will not participate in the upcoming climate negotiations simply as sufferers, but as active participants shaping the course of action.

Max Puig, executive vice president of the National Council on Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMDL) of the Dominican Republic, emphasized that Latin America and the Caribbean will come to this year’s COP in a strong position. “The time to see us as climate victims is over. Even though it’s us, the time to take the helm has begun,” he said.

“It must be clear to our peoples and to the world that we are serious and that, even in the most difficult circumstances, we will not stop. We will overcome the difficulties. This is the message that Latin America and the Caribbean are delivering at COP27 in Egypt.”

Some civil society representatives had hoped for more progress at the recent Climate Week, particularly in ensuring that climate justice and human rights were at the heart of the discussions. But other metrics are more positive on the event’s outcome in building regional momentum – and steps towards consensus – ahead of COP27.

“After a few days attending this year’s Latin American and Caribbean Climate Week, I see that countries in the region are making progress. I also see the potential to accelerate climate action,” Ovais Sarmad, UN Executive Deputy Secretary for Climate Change, told Diálogo Chino after the event ended. “We heard a lot of potential solutions this week.”

Adaptation, solutions and opportunities

Despite facing enormous challenges, Latin America has also proven to be a hub for innovative solutions to climate change. This area has great potential for renewable energy such as wind, solar system and geothermal. There have also been advances in the field of transportation, especially electric bus over the past decade, and the early developments in private adoption Electric Carwith countries increasingly looking for spark a broader transition to electric vehicles.

Latin America and the Caribbean have also demonstrated many solutions that promote adaptation and mitigation, many of which can be replicated in other regions depending on need and context. Many of these solutions have been seen in the field of agriculturewith some roots in ancestral knowledge and historical practices that promote better water, land and energy management.

Practices under the auspices of regenerative agriculture is receiving increasing attention in Latin America. For example, agroforestry, which integrates trees into agricultural systems, can enhance productivity, improve and increase biodiversity, and contribute to greater carbon sequestration. Meanwhile, the region’s coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and swamps are currently being recognized for their potential mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon, while providing a host of other benefits.

Forests are also Earth’s most important carbon sinks, but face significant threats – perhaps nowhere more so than in Latin America, where biomes such as Amazon, Cerrado and Gran Chaco have seen extensive deforestation in recent decades.

“With nearly half of its area covered by forest, Latin America and the Caribbean account for about 57% of the world’s remaining virgin forest, storing about 104 gigatonnes of carbon. Fire and deforestation currently threaten one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, with far-reaching and long-lasting effects,” said WMO’s Taalas speak at the launch of the “State of Climate” report last year. Despite the remarkable progress and declarations made at last year’s COP26, monitoring and preventing deforestation will likely remain on the agenda heading into this year’s summit.

WMO’s 2021 report also highlights the need to strengthen early warning systems in Latin America. These are multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) that can warn people about extreme weather events and prevent millions of deaths. These are essential tools for effective adaptation in areas at risk of extreme weather, water and climate impacts, but for many countries, as with many solutions, implementation effectively they can rely on increased financial resources – again underscoring what is likely to become an important agenda item as Latin America towards COP27.

COP27 took place on November 6–18 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

This article was originally published by ChinaDialogue

© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service

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