"The implementation of Long-Term Climate Strategies represents a great opportunity to lay the foundations for transformative development in the countries" Horst Pilger. Head of Sector – European Union

EUROCLIMA+ -the European Union's flagship programme- has among its main objectives to provide support to Latin American and Caribbean countries for the implementation of plans, actions and policies to address climate change, comply with the Paris Agreements and achieve the targets set forth in the NDCs of each country, a commitment that was ratified, consolidated and shared in the events developed by the Programme in the framework of COP26, which took place from 31 October to 12 November in Glasgow, Scotland.

Actions to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change not only represent a challenge in the midst of the current situation due to Covid-19 and the economic and social effects it has brought to the region, they have taken on a central role, emphasising the need to foster a green, resilient, sustainable and inclusive recovery.

This work is only possible by joining forces with institutions, national governments and both urban and rural communities, who live with the main effects of climate change. All these voices, from different perspectives, experiences and success stories, participated in the discussions organised by EUROCLIMA+ at COP26, a way of integrating, from different perspectives, the allies that make it possible to continue fighting together against climate change.

Below are several of the events that took place during COP26, which were facilitated and/or organised by the Programme.

 

Section 1: Joint commitments to achieve climate goals

 

"The implementation of Long-Term Climate Strategies represents a great opportunity to lay the groundwork for transformative development in the countries" Horst Pilger. Head of Sector – European Union

Long-term Climate Strategies (LTCSs) enable countries to address the challenges of climate change through long-term, comprehensive, cross-cutting, integrated and low-emission development pathways. More than 40 countries have already submitted their LTCSs to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In the context of Latin America, in addition to Mexico, Costa Rica and Guatemala, which already have their strategies in place, Chile and Colombia submitted their respective LTCSs during COP26. The implementation of LTCSs represents a great opportunity to lay the foundations for the transformative development of countries, which is why EUROCLIMA+ is working on development with partner countries.

 

 

This interest led to the proposal and development of a meeting that would allow for an exchange between high-level representatives on the experiences with these types of instruments in Latin America. The event Long-Term Climate Strategies: experiences and perspectives in Latin America  was an opportunity to present the experiences in the development of the Strategies for Chile, Uruguay, Panama and Honduras, processes that are being accompanied by the EUROCLIMA+ programme. Likewise, the Latin American Network for Long-Term Climate Planning was presented, an articulating instrument that facilitates collaboration initiatives for LTCSs in the countries of the region.

 

 

 

Energy efficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean for climate change adaptation and mitigation under the Paris Agreement

At the COP26, there was a discussion on how to approach energy efficiency policies, plans, programmes and projects for climate change adaptation and mitigation, with important social, economic and environmental implications. Specifically in the event "Energy Efficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the framework of the Paris Agreement" Didier Bosseboeuf, Scientific Advisor of the Research and Foresight Directorate at ADEME highlighted :

“Energy efficiency policies are increasingly being implemented in Latin America, three quarters are being implemented,
but only 11 countries have a clear goal".

 

These words confirm what was also shared in the speech by OLADE director Alfonso Blanco:

"Our region, with what it is doing in terms of climate action,
is failing to meet the targets set in the national commitments.
We need to redouble our efforts."

 

Finally, in the side event, organised by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and co-organised by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), there was a discussion of the need to address the different crises we are going through on the basis of a new model called "Big Push for Sustainability", whose objective is to produce an interconnected change towards the construction of a welfare state, the reduction of technological gaps, the shift of production to an environmentally sustainable path and the achievement of social equality.

To this end, eight technologically mature or rapidly maturing and innovative sectors have been identified for this major drive, which can be produced within the region, with contributions to employment and with a smaller environmental footprint.

Among these sectors, renewable energies also played an important role in the event “The global route to green hydrogen”, organised by the Chilean Ministry of Energy, the EU and ECLAC. At this event, Joseluis Samaniego, director of ECLAC's Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, proposed "that the deployment of the Green Hydrogen (H2V) sector in Latin America should be different from what has historically occurred with other extractive industries and should become a model of sustainable, inclusive, decentralised and regionally integrated development".

Section 2: Multi-level cooperation for tackling climate change

As the world moves forward with the implementation of the NDCs, the sub-national level and other key actors play a central role in making climate action a reality. Such is the case of sustainable mobility, where cities are key to reducing transport emissions in order to achieve the Paris Agreement targets.

Therefore, the event "Climate action in the transport and urban mobility sector" generated a space for dialogue between actors on the coordination of national governments to implement NDCs on a global scale in Latin America and the Caribbean. It also highlighted the contributions of academia, the private sector and civil society in supporting these actions. 

Among the experiences, the National Urban Mobility Policy of Uruguay was presented, as well as the pilot project Promotion and development of urban cycling in Montes de Oca and Curridabat, Costa Rica, both initiatives are part of the EUROCLIMA+ programme.

Furthermore, fifteen parliamentarians from twelve Latin American and Caribbean countries signed a joint declaration marking the announcement of the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC), at the event "Latin American and Caribbean Parliament Protagonists: Announcement of the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition", facilitated by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) with the support of the European Union, through the Euroclima+ Programme.

In the framework of this event, parliamentarians belonging to different ideological currents but who share a commitment to the climate agenda formally signed the creation of the OPCC. The objective of the OPCC is to constitute a shared information tool on the status of environmental legislation and parliamentary treatment in the region and beyond.

 

Rural and urban communities, the main protagonists

In order to consolidate spaces for the implementation of plans and public policies for addressing climate change, it is essential to count on the communities, who are the ones who have to live first-hand with the impacts of climate change and variability.

This was stated by Sylvain Lefebvre, responsible for the Urban Water and Risk Management  sectors at the French Development Agency - AFD, during the discussion:  ‘The social inclusion of indigenous and rural communities for the success of public policies for adaptation to climate change’, who stated that: "To achieve success with the policies it is very important to ensure a strong involvement of communities, based on the diagnosis, to generate positive impacts, so that they do not feel excluded and are part of the implementation of actions".

During the discussion, three success stories of projects in the Urban Water and Risk Management sectors were presented, in which the community took a central role in both the conception and implementation of public policies to address climate change.

One example of this joint work is the implementation of the Mechanisms of Remuneration for Ecosystem Services - MERESEH, in the framework of the Water for Abancay project of the Water sector, which is implemented in Peru. MERESEH was born as an agreement between the Service Provider Company and the community, through which a percentage of the water service bill is levied to invest in the conservation of the ecosystem that supplies water to the community.

"The communities are learning that investments in ecosystem restoration reduce their vulnerability, their long-term drought risk, and have generated greater awareness of water and its collateral services. The MERESEH experience is strengthened by the trust that has been generated between the company and the community for future investments.” -Marco Sotomayor, Water for Abancay project.

Finally, at the event Support from the European Union, through its EUROCLIMA+ programme, to Chile in its role as Presidency of COP25, to promote climate action in Latin America and the Caribbean, Minister Carolina Schmidt stressed the importance of the strategic alliance between Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union: "We established with the European Union an alliance based on our common vision of driving climate action with a sense of urgency, based on science, and as an opportunity for green recovery, and not only in Chile but also in Latin America and the Caribbean, because COP25 was the Latin American COP. " She also thanked the enormous support given by the European Union, together with ECLAC and UNEP, to the extended presidency of COP25, and highlighted "the common commitment of the European Union and Latin America with the necessary ambition to pursue what is required by science to tackle climate change".

 

About EUROCLIMA+

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

The Programme's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience and climate investment. It is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).