Mexico was the world's first developing nation to commit. The rest of Latin America and the Caribbean followed. Taking stock of climate change’s effects on sea rise, extreme weather, crop failures and disease, the region united at the 2015 United Nations climate summit in Paris to pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lay out paths for doing so. Now, governments face … [Read more...] about Modeling Tradeoffs in the Fight Against Climate Change
Environment and Climate Change
Fighting the Fossil Fuel Addiction
For a region that is very vulnerable to climate change, Latin America remains highly dependent on fossil fuels. Around 40% of the region's energy generation still comes from oil, natural gas, and coal. Moreover, supporting fossil fuels is costly to governments. According to a paper by the International Monetary Fund, the average country in the region spends around 1% of its GDP … [Read more...] about Fighting the Fossil Fuel Addiction
Global Warming: Why a Couple Degrees Makes All the Difference
What's the big fuss over 2 degrees Celsius? That's the temperature increase to which 195 countries agreed to limit global warming at the 2015 Paris climate talks. And it would seem to be trivial. A 2-degrees-Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) increase from 4.4 to 6.4 Celsius (40-43.6 Fahrenheit), after all, doesn't have us shedding our Shetland sweaters for shorts and a tank top. … [Read more...] about Global Warming: Why a Couple Degrees Makes All the Difference
Natural Disasters: How Nations Build Resilience
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in 2010, killing more than 220,000 people and leaving 1 million homeless, governments and multilateral organizations gathered in New York to pledge an unprecedented $10 billion in emergency aid and long-term reconstruction. “Our goal is not to rebuild. It is to build back better,” said then U.N. … [Read more...] about Natural Disasters: How Nations Build Resilience
When Solar Power Cuts Costs and Emissions
The epic droughts that have devastated Latin America over the last five years, drying up river beds and crippling electricity generation, stand as a clear warning. Latin America and the Caribbean may be one of the world's most important regions for hydroelectric power, with nearly half of generation capacity currently supplied by dams. But ever increasing dry spells engendered … [Read more...] about When Solar Power Cuts Costs and Emissions