October is Hispanic Heritage Month. Here at Climate Group, we’re hard at work to get it done with business, civic, and social sectors throughout Latin America. We do this through projects, events and close working relationships that help us to understand key priorities across each country.
One of the main ways in which we influence change is by working with our committed state governments. Climate Group acts as secretariat to the Under2 Coalition, which is the largest global network of state and regional governments committed to reaching net zero by 2050 at the latest.
Since its beginnings in 2015, the coalition’s Latin America membership has grown steadily to the extent that half of all members come from this region.
Our members in Mexico, Brazil, Peru and Colombia have been particularly active in Under2 Coalition projects on the ground. This year that has included:
- The Climate Footprint Project, which is supporting governments in compiling emissions inventories;
- Road to Carbon Neutral, which is equipping Colombian states to create climate pathways in the energy and transport sectors;
- The Alliance for Regenerative Ranching in the Peruvian Amazon, which is finding new ways to make cattle farming systems more sustainable.
The Under2 Coalition also support projects through the Future Fund, which covers areas such as energy efficiency, adaptation, clean transportation, carbon pricing and climate change laws. Last year this included the installation of solar panels at a school in Rondônia, Brazil and a pilot project to provide affordable energy in Yucatán, Mexico. These projects are making a real difference and helping states and regions meet the considerable climate challenges they face.
In 2022 we have continued to engage across Latin America, and the Future Fund enabled us to send more Latin America government representatives to Climate Week NYC than ever before.
One of our flagship events at The Hub Live was Financing for a fairer future in Latin America, where climate leaders like Head of Sustainability at Bancolombia Franco, Piza Rondon, and UNFCCC Climate Champion, Gonzalo Munoz, came together to explore possibilities of net zero investments in Latin American energy, transport, waste and agriculture in a close conversation with state and regional governments of the Under2 Coalition.
As part of the wider week, we featured affiliate events like Financing Net Zero in Latin America: Policy Instruments and Mechanisms, as well as Decarbonizing Latin America: a portfolio of investment opportunities in key sectors by DecarBOOST. In these and many more events, experts explored how to boost and support rapid decarbonization and climate finance mechanisms in countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Peru.
Angela Barranco, Executive Director for North America at Climate Group, also opened the Convencion Internacional Emergencia Climatica in Antioquia, Colombia, in September. The conference works to keep Colombia and neighboring states on track toward ambitious climate goals and emission targets. In her speech, Barranco emphasized the importance and urgency of coming together for climate and highlighted Under2 member Antioquia’s recent progress.
She said, “Through regional conferences like Antioquia’s, Colombia and other Latin American regions have made significant strides in meeting climate goals – reducing emissions, preserving the rainforest, and protecting biodiversity, but we still have work to do. Continued efforts to decarbonize Antioquia’s building and transport sector, as well as sustainability in animal agriculture will act as a model to other states in Colombia and Latin America as a whole.”
Closing the conference, Antioquia’s Governor Anibal Gaviria publicly announced that the state is committed and on track to achieve net zero on emissions by 2050.
At COP Jujuy Verde 2022 in Jujuy, Argentina, our Under2 team engaged with Argentinian leaders from Santiago del Estero, Misiones, and Catamarca, and recruited signatories for our new commitments through the Under2 Coalition 2021 MOU. This including meeting the Governor of Jujuy, Geraldo Morales, to discuss climate priorities in the region.
This Hispanic Heritage Month we’d like to acknowledge the hard-working staff and partners making a difference to Get It Done on climate action in Latin America and beyond. We’re proud of the steps taken by our Under2 Coalition and business members, but there is always more to be done. We look forward to continuing working with all our Latin American partners to achieve a net zero future.