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Welcome back to the Sustainability Dispatch!

DIRECTORS' COLUMN

These past few months, we’ve been busy following and participating in different climate and biodiversity summits and negotiations, from the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP16 in Cali, Colombia. We also pitched in at our energy colleague’s XXXIII La Jolla Energy conference and organized the first science communication workshop as part of our Science Literacy program. Take a read to know more!

Our Ongoing Work

EC2 at COP16 in Cali, Colombia

After a historic UN biodiversity summit in 2022 that delivered the Global Biodiversity Framework, with the global promise of protecting and conserving 30% of lands and oceans and ending nature loss by 2030, delegates from almost every country on Earth met in Cali, Colombia, to follow up on the commitments made then. IOA President Richard Kiy and Tania, EC2 director, were present for a few days and met with existing and new partners.

We participated at a high-level roundtable discussion organized by the UN High Level Champions and chaired by H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, titled “From Rio to Cali leading to Belem: LAC Leadership in Nature and Climate Agendas”, to discuss low-hanging fruits for the region to advance climate change measures that tackle biodiversity loss simultaneously, and how to leverage private sector financing to support them.

We also met with existing and new partners to discuss solutions to LATAM’s most pressing biodiversity and climate challenges, with the hopes of collaborating in future projects. There is optimism of leveraging the rich natural resources in the region towards a more sustainable future that protects it too, yet more resources are needed, particularly for monitoring and compliance issues.

Towards this end, EC2 co-hosted a small reception with Cali’s Municipal Environmental Department, DAGMA, and will explore new initiatives with partners such as Iniciativa Climática de México, CEMDA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and others, as the world’s nations prepare to update their Nationally Determined Contributions before the much-expected climate COP30 to be held in Brazil next year. We will be delving into the nexus of democracy and climate urban resilience, as well as rallying countries and stakeholders to better protect carbon rich ecosystems—such as mangroves. 

Published Resources on the Decarbonization of International
Shipping

Global shipping levy: the future of low carbon shipping? As the UN prepares to finalize key climate laws for shipping, a unified Latin American stance on pricing ship emissions is crucial to securing a low-carbon future and economic prosperity for the region. The upcoming IMO negotiations will determine whether the industry adopts ambitious measures, such as a global carbon levy, to meet net-zero emissions targets by 2050. Read EC2 Director’s blog in Spanish here and in English here.

Take a look at this short informational video we created on how an ambitious levy on carbon emissions from shipping could benefit developing Latin American countries.

IOA’s Energy Program Celebrates the XXXIII La Jolla Energy
Conference

Each year, the IOA’s Energy Program convenes a high-level dialogue around key energy issues with the goal of shaping and informing the big debates, such as Net Zero and the energy transition, geopolitical developments, financing and Latin America’s energy outlook.
 
EC2 Director co-moderated a panel on Low Carbon Fuels with speakers from governments, energy producers and project developers. You can read the conference rapid recap here, which includes the main points discussed during that session!

Gulf of California Multi-Use Marine Protected Area Efficiency Analysis

As part of GCMP’s ongoing research on ecosystem health, Catalina López-Sagástegui co-authored a whitepaper assessing the health of rocky reefs in three marine protected areas in the Gulf of California. Using 25 years of data, the analysis shows that multi-use MPAs have experienced continuous degradation, although some ecological indicators, such as fish biomass, are reaching apparent stability.

The study highlights the importance of fully protected MPAs to ensure resilient and functional marine ecosystems in the face of growing environmental pressures, while offering greater long-term socioeconomic benefits. The study (in Spanish - Eficacia de las Áreas marinas protegidas de uso múltiple en el Golfo de California.) is available here for reading and downloading.

1st Generation of Science Communication Training Workshop

GCMP’s Science Literacy program held the first science communication training workshop in La Paz in early October. In collaboration with the Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación and dataMares, a three-day workshop gathered 14 early career scientists, students and communication specialists to learn about graphic techniques and methods to communicate scientific findings.

This workshop was designed by dataMares’ Art Director, Luis Miguel Cruz, and GCMP Director Catalina, as a hands-on, multidisciplinary experience to promote collaboration between scientists and graphic designers. We look forward to more workshops in the future as we continue to promote greater access and transparency in science.

 
 

In the News

  • Desarrollo sustentable en Colombia: medidas ambiciosas en el sector marítimo mundial. El transporte marítimo global emite cinco veces más gases de efecto invernadero que Colombia en un solo año y representa el 5 % de la demanda global de petróleo. Read more here at Colombia’s El Espectador.
  • Chile y otros 175 estados miembros de la OMI buscan alcanzar emisiones netas cero en el transporte marítimo para 2050. Read more here at Chile’s La Tercera.
 

About EC2

The Institute of the Americas’ Environment & Climate Change Program (EC2) strives to catalyze climate leadership amongst the private sector and local/regional governments in the Americas, to promote sustainable growth, tackle climate change and minimize environmental impacts in the region with the goal of protecting its rich marine and land-based natural capital. 

You can explore other things the Institute is working on through our website and following us on social media!

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