10 December 2014: Latin American and Caribbean policy makers and representatives from think tanks gathered for two roundtables organized by the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). The roundtables convened as part of the side event ‘Latin America and Caribbean Think Tanks’ Views on the Road to Paris 2015,’ which took place at the Lima Climate Change Conference.

In the first roundtable on knowledge developments on climate and prosperity policies, Laurence Tubiana, French Ambassador for Climate Change, lauded collaboration between IDDRI, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), which promotes exchanges between think tanks in the region on key issues related to climate change negotiations. She noted how the cooperation injects new ideas into the negotiations to spur progress. Tubiana also proposed that Peru jointly hold the Presidency of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC with France until December 2015 to show Latin America’s pivotal role in the negotiations.

Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary, UNECLAC, launched the publication ‘The Economics of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean: Paradoxes and Challenges of Sustainable Development.’ She stressed that the economics of climate change should be considered at the highest levels of governments as an impetus for transformative change.

Waldemar Coutts, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile, drew attention to a political declaration released by an alliance among Chile, Brazil and Peru. In the declaration, the alliance stresses the importance of South-South cooperation and providing the requisite means of implementation, capacity-building support and access to information on climate change.

In the second roundtable on ideas from the Latin American and Caribbean region for the negotiations, Hernán Carlino, Climate Studies Center, Fundacíon Torcuati Di Tella, Argentina, stressed that the absence of Spanish materials from the growing body of climate change literature acts as a barrier for Spanish-speaking people and negotiators.

Maria Paz Cigaran, Libelula, Peru, spoke on reconciling economic development with low-carbon growth, noting the need to consider people, information, rules and climate supporting actions.

René Castro, Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), said carbon neutrality in the region is possible and suggested actions such as supporting the New York Declaration on Forests; using national plans on adaptation and mitigation for capacity building; and finding synergies between adaptation and mitigation. [IISD RS ENBOTS Coverage] [IISD RS Coverage of Lima Climate Change Conference] [IDDRI Event Announcement] [IDDRI Website] [Publication: The Economics of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean: Paradoxes and Challenges of Sustainable Development]