20 November 2009: Speaking at the launch of a study titled “The Economics of Climate Change in Chile,” Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), noted that the impact of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean will be considerable and stressed the need for the region to contribute to negotiations in the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled to take place in Copenhagen. She warned against the risks of “weakening the Copenhagen negotiations, not setting a clear route of action and not ensuring binding results in Mexico next year.”
The study was carried out by a group of experts from the Catholic, Chile and Valparaíso universities under the technical coordination of ECLAC, further to a request by the Government of Chile. It examines the main effects that climate change will have on the Chilean economy, particularly in agriculture, mining, energy, fishing and forestry. [ECLAC Press Release]