Fourth week of my internship

Hello everyone, here is the low-down of the fourth week of my internship here at Fundación Biosfera.

Our most pressing upcoming event is the latest conference in our Encuentro series, which will take place in Colombia later this week. This will be our fifth event in this series, which brings together NGOs, companies and people of influence from all across Latin America to discuss movements towards adaptation and mitigation in anticipation of the effects of climate change. The first Encuentro took place in Lima, Peru in December 2014 and received wide acclaim for its inclusive and ambitious approach towards non-government-led climate change action. Its aim was to initiate the dialogue about climate change between the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, with representatives from organisations including the Inter-american Development Bank (IADB), the Provincial Organisation for Sustainable Development of Buenos Aires (OPDS), the Federal Board for the Environment in Argentina (COFEMA), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL).

In order to get the inside track on the upcoming 5to Encuentro, I arranged an interview the co-founder and head of Fundación Biosfera, the day before he leaves for Colombia on Wednesday. The exchange detailed below highlights the need for the Encuentro series, and why Latin America has the potential to drive climate change initiatives.

1. Why ought the public to care about climate change?

Climate change is a process that involves all citizens, of cities, countries and the world. We live in a globalised world, that is to say all we do at any given point impacts upon or has repercussions for our planet. It has more than 7 billion inhabitants – we must engage as many as possible if not all, responsibility is shared by all and we must all participate. Today´s quality of life depends on many factors, cultural factors being among those of extreme importance, however more so is that of technology, specifically that which we encounter in everyday life. This eruption of technological growth has been very fast, but insufficiently explained, so those with more knowledge and know how to use it sustainably, must explain to others so that it isn’t used excessively. Technology ought to be made and used in an appropriate manner that does not negatively affect humanity.

2. What are the basic objectives of this Encuentro?

The 5th Encuentro of Environmental Responsibility in Projects of Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change focusses on a smaller geographical area, we’re talking about cities, regions and states where problems are created and where people live. In a way, we are simply saying that in America we have environmental problems, and that we want to participate in trying to resolve them. We ought to realise what those of our actions that negatively affect the environment, and how we can work together to create good environmental practices, to reduce CO2 emissions. Today Latin America produces around 9% of global emissions of CO2 – a relatively small amount. However, we experience some of the most terrible effects of climate change; flooding; droughts; immigration and emigration, serious problems in our communities. We must anticipate future and incremental effects, learn how to endure these while not suffering the same damages, a capacity called resilience: developing projects in the face of climate change, as opposed to contingency plans, which force us to spend money year upon year, without learning from the lessons of the past.

3. Why is it important that climate change action be a global effort?

These days most accept that we are not living in one single area or city, but on an entire planet, that is to say, in a globalised community. All that which occurs in one sector affects the other, and we are irresponsibly contaminating them all. All of us must avoid contaminating and damaging the environment, and instead learn how to get involved with repairing it. We must take charge of our contamination of the environment, whether done consciously or through lack of awareness, but in one way or another, each citizen must be responsible – it is the responsibility of all. Where we see bad practice, we must try to limit it, or work to rectify it. We are quickly using up our natural resources, so let us think simply: 80% of our body is fresh water. If we do not conserve and protect our fresh groundwater, we are threatening our very existence, our survival.

4. In what way is the role of Latin America special?

Latin America is a relatively new continent, that emits nearly 10% of global greenhouse gasses. It has huge growth potential, extensive natural resources, for example, freshwater, and its population is very vulnerable to climate change; migration; forest fires; extended rainfall. Beyond that it also has huge forests -the lungs of our planet- that we must protect as well. I believe that it is a part of the international community and that it must learn to co-exist and avoid negative climate actions or bad practices just like any other entity. We must contribute to this international community, and learn to take care of it.

5. Do you have any advice for someone that wants to change their lifestyle in order to live more sustainably?

Many wish for a better quality of life, seeing dirty, contaminated streets and water that is, instead of transparent, brown and unclean. These people are observing the problems caused by climate change in their everyday lives. They want to participate in the resolution of these problems, of course, because they want the best for their families and community, that is to say, they want to be taught how to do it. The principal way of participating is to inform oneself of good daily practice, and also seeking information from local institutions, NGOs and the state. What each must do is learn, so as then to put what one has learned into practice.

More information on upcoming and past Encuentro events can be found here.

In other news, the New York Climate Week began on Monday 24th of Sep. with a speech by Patricia Espinosa (Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC), urging national governments gathered in New York to ramp up their commitments and deliver on the promise of the Paris Agreement. This will be the tenth installment of the Week, which aims to bring together individuals, businesses and community-groups in support of climate action. Over 260 events have been crammed into this week, so in the first few days, I will be staying updated on the results of several that I believe have a direct correlation with the work realised by the Fundacion, namely ‘Investments and Climate Change’ and ‘Small City Resilience’ on Monday, ‘Clean Energy Transition’ on Tuesday, and ‘Deep Decarbonisation Pathways’ on Wednesday. Please find links to the Week’s homepage and various events of interest below:

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/event/un-global-compact-leaders-summit

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/event/investments-climate-change

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/event/small-city-resilience

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/event/100-clean-energy-transition

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/event/institutionalizing-climate-change-decision

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/event/deep-decarbonization-pathways

As Horacio de Belaustegui heads off to Colombia on Wednesday, over the next few days I shall be posting one or two publications regarding the 5to Encuentro event, results from and reaction to New York Climate Week, in addition to continued analysis of wider environmental efforts, past and present.

I’m glad you can join me for this topical and exciting investigation.

Regards,

Will Feakes