16 December 2014
ECLAC: Reducing Carbon Footprints Can Increase Competitiveness
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Measuring and reducing the carbon footprints of production processes in Latin America and the Caribbean could improve the insertion in global trade of countries in the region, according to a side event hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) at the Lima Climate Change Conference.

ECLAC11 December 2014: Measuring and reducing the carbon footprints of production processes in Latin America and the Caribbean could improve the insertion in global trade of countries in the region, according to a side event hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) at the Lima Climate Change Conference.

At the event, titled ‘Trade and Climate Change: Exploring a New Agenda,’ ECLAC presented the results of a project that examined carbon embedded in food exports and found that carbon footprints depend largely on production and processing methods, while sea shipments only account for a small portion of the footprint. According to ECLAC, land use and land-use change account for 34% of Latin America’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This factor affects the embedded carbon in the region’s products, as does the capture and storage of carbon in agricultural lands.

The ECLAC study was carried out over three years from 2012-2014 in eight countries. It examined GHG emissions at the different points in a product’s lifecycle from processing, packing and transportation, to consumption and disposition. As identical products may differ greatly in their life cycles, ECLAC highlighted opportunities for producer countries to promote sustainable production processes.

Speaking on advancing a positive business agenda, ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena suggested that “public-private alliances in [the ECLAC] region are crucial for the adoption of national export strategies that include environmental considerations.”

In addition to capitalizing on sustainable practices in export strategies, ECLAC also recommends that policy makers in import markets to develop instruments that encourage consumers to select low-carbon products.

The event was co-organized by ECLAC, the Government of Honduras and the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). [ECLAC Press Release] [ECLAC Infographic on Carbon Footprint and Trade] [IISD RS Coverage of Lima Climate Change Conference]


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