Leaders from around the world met recently in Brussels, Belgium—in the shadow of the Atomium, a soaring monument to the atomic age—to reaffirm that nuclear power is a “key component” of the global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The event was just the latest sign that nuclear energy is increasingly becoming part of the […]
With the closure of nearly a dozen coal-fired power plants in recent years—including three that were disconnected from the grid this month—Chile is getting less and less of its electricity from coal. The government wants to accelerate that trend, but first it is looking at how the country can best address the technical, regulatory, and […]
The transition to clean energy not only will help the region tackle climate change; it will also spur investment, strengthen economies, and improve people’s lives, the Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Raquel Peña, said at the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). “When the region takes […]
Heavy industry accounts for close to a third of greenhouse gas emissions globally, and reducing those emissions poses significant challenges. After all, it’s not as if the world can suddenly start living without steel or cement. Considering their durability and cost, these types of materials for all practical purposes have no substitutes, according to […]
Years ago, in a meeting with government officials in a Latin America country, Guillermo Areas of BMW was talking about the benefits of electric vehicles when someone asked him whether he was referring to golf carts. It was hard to even imagine back then that electric vehicles would appear on the region’s highways. Fast-forward […]
With pressure growing to slow the pace of global warming, the goal of slashing methane emissions has come into sharper focus, spurring greater ambition and attracting more funding. At the recent United Nations Climate Conference, COP28, even major oil and gas companies pledged to get in on the action. Fifty companies representing over 40% […]
Latin America and the Caribbean will need to increase renewable energy generation exponentially in the coming years—and the region has the political will to make that happen, according to Andrés Rebolledo, Executive Secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE). In an interview with the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA)—an initiative […]
Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions—and a major victim of a changing climate, as rising temperatures and natural disasters threaten farmers’ ability to make a living and feed a growing population. With so much at stake, it’s no wonder that agriculture and food systems are becoming an increasing area of focus in […]
After years of wrangling over the need for a fund to support vulnerable countries in response to the “loss and damage” they suffer from climate change, COP28 agreed to set the fund in motion. The decision was greeted by a standing ovation—and widespread recognition that this marked only a small step forward. The decision […]
Uruguay, one of South America’s smallest countries, is attracting outsized attention over its transition to green electricity. It didn’t happen simply by building a bunch of wind and solar farms, the architect of the strategy said, but by rethinking the entire energy system. And, he said, other countries could do that too. Ramón Méndez […]
Latin America has competitive advantages that could make it a “clean energy powerhouse,” but investment in the sector must double by 2030. That was a key message from Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), at the release of the organization’s first in-depth report on the region. The report found […]
In a move intended to accelerate the market for clean hydrogen in the United States, the Biden administration announced that the federal government will invest $7 billion to establish seven regional hydrogen hubs around the country. “It’s all part of my plan to make things in America,” President Joe Biden said at the announcement […]
The climate crisis poses a direct threat to development. In The Bahamas, for example, the impacts of climate change account for as much as half the national debt, according to Prime Minister Philip Davis. “Any discussion of sustainable development must be had in the context of our climate reality,” he said. Speaking at the […]
Blistering. Boiling. Burning. Scorching. Searing. Sweltering. The adjectives may vary, but the simple fact is that the past three months have been hot. In fact, this has been the warmest summer on record in the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest winter south of the equator. The average global land and ocean surface temperature for […]
The recent Amazon Summit in Brazil drew widespread criticism for the lack of specific commitments. But one environmental expert who was there identified some reasons for hope—in the host city and in the Amazon region itself. For Enrique Ortiz, Senior Program Director of a philanthropic organization called the Andes Amazon Fund, one reason to […]
Leaders of the eight South American countries that make up the Amazon region met in Belém, Brazil, to advance “a new common agenda” aimed at reducing deforestation, protecting biodiversity, and preventing the region from reaching an environmental “point of no return.” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described the two-day summit, held August […]
Chile is creating a US$1 billion fund to catalyze private investment in green hydrogen projects. The fund could be a game-changer for the development of the industry in the country and serve a test case for the entire region, according to one Chilean official. The fund, which is slated to open for business in […]
With the planet breaking heat records and countries under increasing pressure to meet their decarbonization goals, action on green hydrogen seems to be on the rise everywhere. One small country that is taking some big steps—on a national, regional, and global level—is Panama. Like many other countries in the region and beyond, Panama sees […]
The Dominican Republic is seeing a boom these days in renewable energy, with 17 projects under construction. What accounts for this success? And what steps is the country taking to stay ahead of the challenges? Antonio Almonte, Minister of Energy and Mines, credited sound public policies—including less bureaucracy and more transparency—with spurring “a major […]
Four years after Hurricane Dorian ravaged parts of The Bahamas, the island nation will host a ministerial meeting that will shine a spotlight, fittingly, on how countries in the Americas can work more closely together to tackle the climate crisis. The Fourth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development will take […]
The Caribbean region is replete with renewable energy resources—sun, wind, ocean waves, biomass, geothermal—and yet it is nowhere close to ending its dependence on fossil fuels. How can the region begin to realize its potential on renewables and speed up the energy transition? That was one of the questions on the minds of participants […]
In Barbados, all beaches are open to the public; they are considered part of the nation’s patrimony. That is how the government wants citizens to see renewable energy too, as something open to all Barbadians. In a recent interview with the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), Minister of Energy and Business […]
What legal obligations do governments have to protect against the effects of climate change? And what are the legal consequences if they fail to do so? These questions are about to go to the United Nations’ principal judicial body, in one of the latest and highest-profile examples of climate action in the courts. On […]
Many of the policies and laws needed to drive the energy transition and respond to climate change are national or even global in scope—but plenty of progress can be made at the local level too. The opportunity to act locally is the whole idea behind the inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas. More than […]
What if a country’s forests were worth more left intact than cut down? That is starting to happen in Guyana, which is leading the world on carbon credits for its vast tropical forests—even in the midst of an offshore oil boom. Guyana’s initial carbon credits, which have been a long time in the making, […]
Several Latin American and Caribbean countries have been exploring the prospects for offshore wind, and so far, Brazil and Colombia seem to be making the most headway. Despite the challenges of cost, scale, and complexity, experts say that this energy resource could play an important role in the region’s decarbonization plans. Brazil and Colombia […]
Trinidad and Tobago will be able to move ahead with plans to develop offshore natural gas from a field in Venezuelan waters, now that it has received a green light from the U.S. government. “This is a significant development with far-reaching consequences,” Prime Minister Keith Rowley said. Being able to tap into Venezuela’s offshore […]
Oceans are so vast—covering nearly three-fourths of the Earth’s surface—that it may be hard to think of them as vulnerable. But threats to the world’s oceans are real and growing. Our Ocean 2023, a global conference about to take place in Panama, will focus on how to protect this part of the planet. The […]
In just a few weeks, the United Nations will mark the 50th anniversary of a landmark treaty designed to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of the world’s wild animals and plants. The milestone comes at a time of increasing global awareness that nature is in trouble. UN Secretary-General António Guterres […]
From electric vehicles to critical minerals to clean hydrogen, Canada, Mexico, and the United States found plenty of common ground on climate and energy at the North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) held shortly into the new year. That’s good for the relationship and good for the planet, several panelists said at a recent forum. […]
2010-04-21Nuestra visión es un futuro energético y climático sostenible para el Hemisferio
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