A workshop in Uruguay brings together representatives of several South American countries to address some of the challenges the hemisphere faces in tackling these issues. The Regional Workshop on Metrology and Technology Challenges of Climate Science and Renewable Energy takes place from September 2-4 in Montevideo.

The event—which follows a similar workshop in May held in Guatemala for the Central American countries—is part of a series being held to build institutional capacity on this issue, through an initiative called Renewable Energy and Climate Science: Metrology and Technology Challenges in the Americas. The project is implemented by the OAS Department of Sustainable Development and the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through ECPA, and covers all countries that belong to the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM).

SIM is made up of national metrology organizations from 34 countries, which are organized into five subregions. The Montevideo workshop will bring together participants from the SURAMET region, made up of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The SURAMET countries’ National Metrology Institutes and the Technology Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU, by its Spanish acronym) are providing technical support.

The workshop provides training in technical areas related to expanding renewable energy, measuring air quality and greenhouse gases, and making megacities more sustainable. The aim is to spur partnerships and share knowledge and best practices so the countries will be better equipped to make decisions.