Climate catastrophes are devastating lives and economies at an alarming pace. The combined effect of greenhouse gases and a strong El Niño made 2023 the hottest year ever, 1.4°C above preindustrial levels, bringing devastating heat waves, floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. Against this dire backdrop, the UN reminds global leaders that pledges to curb emissions remain … [Read more...] about The Region Is Asked to Decarbonize. Does it Make Economic Sense?
Graham Watkins
Graham Watkins is Chief of the Climate Change Division at the Inter-American Development Bank and leads the Bank's efforts to support government climate policy and planning in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), increase the availability of finance to drive climate transformation, mainstream climate in bank operations, and build understanding in sustainable infrastructure, climate risk, and decarbonization. Graham has thirty years of experience in LAC leading biodiversity, sustainable infrastructure, and climate change initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean and has published over 60 articles including two books on the Galapagos and the Rupununi in Guyana. He was previously the Executive Director of the Charles Darwin Foundation in Galapagos and Director General of the Iwokrama Centre in Guyana. Graham has a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from the University of Oxford.
Where There is Hope, There is Opportunity For Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Economies in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released the synthesis report of its sixth assessment report, which provides an overview of the state of knowledge on climate change. What are more than 200 scientists saying about the risks of climate change? They are warning yet again about the critical challenges associated with rising temperatures. But a key … [Read more...] about Where There is Hope, There is Opportunity For Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Economies in Latin America and the Caribbean
Responding to Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities in LAC
We are in a global and systemic transformation. Global temperatures have already risen by 1.1 degree, and we are seeing intensified droughts and wildfires in the southern cone and more frequent and violent hurricanes in the Caribbean and Central America. At the same time, we are living in the sustainability revolution with impact and scale like the industrial revolution. Global … [Read more...] about Responding to Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities in LAC
Key sectors and COP26 results that will guide the IDB’s climate agenda in 2022
In 2022 efforts to address the climate crisis need to be redoubled. 2021 has been the 7th consecutive year where the global temperature has been over 1°C above pre-industrial levels. Governments are expected to push forward their plans to achieve the net-zero global target by 2025. Last November, COP26 finally took place in Glasgow amid a complex COVID-19 situation. Several … [Read more...] about Key sectors and COP26 results that will guide the IDB’s climate agenda in 2022
Latin America and the Caribbean has an opportunity to avert climate catastrophe
The consequences of the climate crisis are being experienced around the world. From intense flooding in Turkey and China, scorching heatwaves across the United States, to deadly wildfires in Greece. Extreme weather events have become more intense and more frequent – and it’s only expected to get worse. Earlier this week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) … [Read more...] about Latin America and the Caribbean has an opportunity to avert climate catastrophe