This publication is part of a collection of papers that analyze several of the technical and political issues in the UN climate change negotiations, including those related to climate finance and to the international adaptation framework; and how to support and encourage low-carbon and climate-resilient development. This work series was led by IDDRI and jointly prepared with experts from four Latin American & Caribbean think tanks (Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, see A perspective from Latin American and Caribbean think tanks on climate change issues Series).
This paper discusses ways to reconcile economic growth with the need to transition towards low carbon and resilient development, based on examples in Latin America and the Caribbean. It discusses the challenges and opportunities of such a transition and make some proposals to move faster in this direction, ahead of the COP 20 and 21.
Extract:
“There are various barriers to low-carbon development in the LAC region arising from both the political economy and the socioeconomic focus of the countries, as well as the perceptions of decision makers and other actors who have a high level of influence. In some cases these are paradigms, political realities and perceptions, while in others they are actual circumstances.
At the same time, although climate change and its management are a great challenge for the countries in LAC, the regional context may offer opportunities to advance towards climate compatible development.”