Economic policy and climate change: carbon pricing in Latin America and the Caribbean

Carbon pricing is one of the public policy options for discouraging production activities and consumption patterns that generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study provides an overview of carbon pricing in Latin America and the Caribbean, along with other associated economic policies. It reviews the situation regarding explicit carbon pricing via carbon taxes and emissions trading systems and the use of implicit pricing through the inclusion of the social price of carbon in public investment project evaluation procedures. It draws attention to the fact that very little use is being mad…

The Hummingbird Vol. 12 No. 1

Guide for prioritizing and evaluating environmental remediation projects: managing mining legacies

This document contains information, methodologies and guidelines for policymakers and those responsible for implementing public policies aimed at prioritizing investment in environmental remediation projects. It presents an analysis of the concepts of environmental mining legacies and remediation, as well as their most important aspects, taking into account the heterogeneity of the definitions used in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Emphasis is placed on safeguarding human rights, environmental protection, liability for remediation of damage, and economic and financial analys…

Latin American Economic Outlook 2024: Financing Sustainable Development

In order to fund their ambitious sustainable development agendas, Latin American and Caribbean countries need to expand their financing sources. This 17th edition of the Latin American Economic Outlook proposes a series of policy options to mobilise the necessary resources, based on co-ordinated actions between policy makers, the private sector and their international partners. It argues that public resources should be invested more efficiently, tax better collected and debt better managed. Even with those improvements, private resources will be equally crucial, as public revenues will not be …

Using benchmarking to improve urban mobility: a new tool for building smart cities in emerging countries

Currently, smart city measurements and rankings often overlook key factors, such as size, population and economic tradition, leading to unrealistic goals being set when cities with different histories are compared with unattainable benchmarks. The present article argues that considering these factors can help city planners to achieve more efficient, incremental improvements. Focusing on mobility, this study compares a mid-sized city in southern Brazil with Aarhus, Denmark, a city of similar size and economic tradition. A diagnostic tool was developed to assess the urban mobility strengths and …

The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 12

CEPAL Review No. 144

The Caribbean and artificial intelligence: past, present and future

Report of the activities carried out by the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES), 2023-2024

Distributional implications of climate change and policy recommendations for an inclusive, just and sustainable transition

Inequality, both among and within countries, is a significant barrier to transitioning to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies. This is especially true in regions like Latin America and the Caribbean, where high levels of structural inequality persist. The multiple dimensions of inequality include differences in carbon footprints and varying vulnerabilities to climate impacts. Developing nations are disproportionately affected by climate change because of their reduced capacity to cope with its impacts owing to their economic structures, poor access to basic services and geography. A mix …

The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 11

Development Traps in Latin America and the Caribbean: Vital Transformations and How to Manage Them

Latin America and the Caribbean is facing a number of development traps that pose significant obstacles to a more productive, inclusive and sustainable future. This development crisis coincides with an international context that has changed considerably in the last decade —both on the geo-economic and geopolitical fronts— and which is shifting towards a new set of rules for trade and investment. For its fortieth session, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is putting forward a new proposal analysing three transformations that are vital for moving towards a new …

Development Traps in Latin America and the Caribbean: Vital Transformations and How to Manage Them. Summary

Latin America and the Caribbean is facing a number of development traps that pose significant obstacles to a more productive, inclusive and sustainable future. This development crisis coincides with an international context that has changed considerably in the last decade —both on the geo-economic and geopolitical fronts— and which is shifting towards a new set of rules for trade and investment. For its fortieth session, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is putting forward a new proposal analysing three transformations that are vital for moving towards a new d…

Strengthening regional capacities to address the risk of and from overshooting 1.5°C global warming in Latin America and the Caribbean

The main objective of this background paper is to raise awareness and support Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) governments and non-state actors to strengthen their capacities to engage in and/or lead global conversations on how to manage the risk of temporary overshoot and the role -if any- of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) in the context of achieving and safeguarding delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This document was prepared by Fundación Torcuato Di Tella (FTDT), funded by the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G), and produced in collaboration with the Unit…

The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 10

Rapporteurs Report on Caribbean Development Roundtable. Alva Baptiste Minister For External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs of Saint Lucia

The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 9

SIDS 4: Now or never for small island survival

Sustainability and development in the municipalities of the State of Paraná: mapping and analysis using the sustainable city development index of Brazil (IDSC-BR)

In consideration of the importance that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have acquired in the economic, social and environmental spheres, this article uses the sustainable city development index of Brazil (IDSC-BR) methodology to map SDG attainment in the 399 municipalities of Paraná. The main findings reveal that the municipalities with the lowest SDG fulfilment scores are concentrated in the central region of Paraná. Analysing the results by the individual Goals, the State performed best with Goal 11, sustainable cities and communitie…

CEPAL Review No. 143