Biodiversity

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Three Hungry Giants: China, the U.S. and the E.U.’s battle over Latin America’s natural resources, and its implications for climate change and resource scarcity (2012)

 

This presentation was made on April 6, 2012, by Brown University Research Fellow Guy Edwards and Professor Timmons Roberts at a Brown University workshop entitled ‘Beyond Competition? China, Climate Change, Security and the Developing World’. The presentation looks at how China is leading a resources boom in Latin America and whether China’s legacy in the region will be one of protection or devastation.  The presentation concludes that Latin America should be able to benefit considerably from Chinese interest in the region, but only if national leaders think strategically about the imperatives of low carbon, resilient growth models.

 

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April 6, 2012 | More on Biodiversity, Public Climate Change Policies, Reading List | China, Costa Rica, Mexico, Perú, UNFCCC | Comment

Introduction to REDD

 

February 22, 2012 | More on Amazon, Biodiversity, REDD+, video, youtube | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Perú | Comment

Reefs at Risk

 

February 22, 2012 | More on Biodiversity, video, youtube | Caribbean, Coral Reef | Comment

Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Coordinating Minister of Heritage Ecuador

 

December 8, 2011 | More on Biodiversity, video, youtube | COP17, Ecuador | Comment

Peruvian Paramos in Peril

 

By Emily Kirkland*

The word “paramo” comes from the Spanish word for “desolate territory”. These high-altitude wetlands act like sponges, soaking up precipitation during the rainy season and releasing it slowly over time. Rivers originating in the paramos provide water for cities and for large-scale irrigation projects. The IUCN has estimated that 100 million people in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela ultimately depend on water from the paramos. Quito receives 85% of its water from paramos, while Bogota receives 95%.

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September 1, 2011 | More on Adaptation, Biodiversity | Ecuador, Peru | Comment

Defending the Rivers of the Amazon, with Sigourney Weaver

 

August 11, 2011 | More on Amazon, Biodiversity, video, youtube | Brazil, Hydropower | Comment

Books on Latin America and the Caribbean and climate change and the environment

 

The following book list includes texts focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean and climate change and the environment. The books address some of the most critical socio-environmental issues of the day with important implications for regional and national debates on climate. In the build up to the Rio+20 Conference next year, Latin American civil society organizations and regional and international networks are attempting to make this conference relevant and establish a new and revitalized agenda on sustainable development. These books can make a valuable contribution to that endeavour.

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August 4, 2011 | More on Amazon, Biodiversity, Civil Society | Books, Brazil, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Glaciers, Honduras, México | Comment

Climate Change, Forests and Rural Development in Highland Mexico

 

 

*Dr. Graham Woodgate

(Photo: The volcanic cone of the Nevado Toluca rising above the forests below)

Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a key plank of global climate change mitigation strategies. Opinion is divided on the efficacy and ethics of REDD+ mechanisms, in no small part due to the complexity of the two-way relationship between forests and climate and the structural characteristics of North-South relations.

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May 23, 2011 | More on Biodiversity, Food Security, REDD+ | Deforestation, Maize, Mexico | Comment

Dangerous Climate Change in Brazil: A Brazil-UK Analysis of Climate Change and Deforestation Impacts in the Amazon (2011)

 

This collaborative project between the Centro de Ciência do Sistema Terrestre (CCST) of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Brazil, and the Met Office Hadley Centre, UK, published in April 2011 offers an assessment of the impacts of climate change on Brazil and the effects of deforestation on the Brazilian climate and the Amazon. The study suggests that deforestation could cause temperatures to warm over Amazonia, while the reducing effect on rainfall could lead to drier conditions than those experienced previously. The project makes three crucial contributions in support of Brazilian involvement in the international climate negotiations and in support of INPE´s research endeavors: building capacity within Brazil for policy-relevant climate change assessments; generation of specific policy-relevant information relating to issues of adapting to climate change and assessing risks of dangerous climate change across Brazil; and improving the scientific collaboration on assessing the impacts of climate change in key sectors of society and economy.

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May 17, 2011 | More on Amazon, Biodiversity, Reading List | Brazil | Comment

‘Will cattle ranching continue to drive deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon?’ (Paulo Barreto, 2011)

 

This is a presentation made by Paulo Barreto, Senior Researcher at IMAZON, at the April 8th Brown University Conference on “Latin America and Climate Change: Regional Perspectives on a Global Problem”.

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April 12, 2011 | More on Amazon, Biodiversity, Reading List, Trade & Commerce | Brazil | Comment