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Mitigation
At 12%, Latin America and the Caribbean are relatively minor contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, under current regional development trends emissions are expected to grow. On a per capita basis, LAC contributes more to GHG emissions than other developing countries, including China and India. With growing demands for energy, industrialization and urban development, LAC countries must prepare to introduce clean energy alternatives to reduce GHG emissions. The region also has vast areas of forest land that are converted each year to agricultural and other uses, making land use change and reduction of emissions resulting from deforestation a top priority for the region.
LULUCF & REDD+
Land-use changes such as deforestation and forest degradation result in substantial reductions in forest and soil carbon stocks and increase emissions of climate change-inducing greenhouse gases (GHG). Emissions from land-use change constitute over 46% of the overall GHG emissions of the LAC region, a figure significantly above the world average of 18%. This makes emissions mitigation in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector a priority in the region.
In 2010, the IDB actively promoted activities geared at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and activities for sustainable forest management. These include implantation of the REDD+ agenda as well as implementation of the Forest Investment Program (FIP) of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF). IDB clients were able to focus their efforts on AFOLU with IDB support in three main types of REDD + activities: Technical support; engagement and outreach, and piloting.
Projects:
- REDD pilot projects with local communities in the 3 regions of Peruvian Amazon
- Measurement of Climate Change Impacts and Eco-system Services in Iwokrama
- Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon
Publications:
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT
In Latin America, the transportation sector is the largest contributor of GHG emissions from energy consumption. In 2007 it produced a staggering 35% of these emissions in the region. Road transport accounts for 90% of transport emissions, half produced by passenger traffic and the other half by freight travel. The region’s car ownership, use and emissions are higher than the expected based on population and GDP levels.
In 2010, the IDB launched its Regional Environmentally-Sustainable Transport Action Plan (REST–AP) with the goal of promoting sustainable transportation in LAC, reducing GHG emissions and minimizing other negative externalities such as air and noise pollution, congestion and accidents, without compromising economic growth and social inclusion.
Projects:
- Support Urban Sustainable Mobility Plan of the city of Rio de Janeiro
- National Plan for Freight Transport: NAMAs Pilot Study
Renewable Energies
The IDB plays an instrumental role operations through continuous provision of advisory services to operational divisions to incorporate low-carbon and climate-resilient elements in projects in multiple sectors. In particular, the Bank supports the mainstreaming of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies within the IDB operations, including energy efficiency in the water and sanitation sector, and biogas and solar technologies in sectors such as agriculture, industry, housing, and commercial buildings.
Projects:
- Fostering Energy Efficiency within the Private Sector In LAC
- Regional Sugar and Bio-Energy Program
- Estancias del Lago
- Fostering Energy Efficiency in the LAC Water Sector
The IDB is also instrumental in the promotion of sustainable biofuels in Latin America. The Bank currently works on the dissemination and application of the Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard, originally released in 2008 as a tool to help users identify the environmental and social risks of a project and to provide incentives for more sustainable practices. Current work towards an updated version of the Scorecard brings new knowledge to bear, primarily in GHG calculation methodologies and measuring carbon emissions from land use change.
Projects:
