A Blue Path for the Caribbean: Ocean Sustainability for Prosperity and Resilience

Assessment of the effects and impacts of the Hurricane Matthew: the Bahamas

The passage of Hurricane Matthew through The Bahamas in October 2016 marks the second time in just over a year that the country was affected by a Category 4 hurricane. However, unlike 2015’s Hurricane Joaquin, which affected islands having a relatively low population, Hurricane Matthew’s greatest impact was felt on the country’s population centres of New Providence and Grand Bahama, as well as in the district of North Andros. Damage in these areas was caused by high winds and storm surge associated with the hurricane, and was exacerbated by construction practices and the siting of communities …

Assessment of the effects and impacts caused by Hurricane Irma: the Bahamas 2017

Hurricane Irma was the ninth named hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Being an Archipelago in the Caribbean, a great portion of The Bahamas infrastructure is in proximity to the coast, making it particularly vulnerable to tropical storms. Irma directly and primarily affected the southern islands of Inagua, Acklins, Ragged Island and Southern Andros, and affected Bimini and Grand Bahama to the north, while it also caused moderate effects across the country. The effects of hurricane Irma on the population of The Bahamas were moderate. According to the reports prepared by the govern…

Assessment of the effects and impacts of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas

In September 2019 , the world watched as the category 5 Hurricane Dorian rained havoc down on The Bahamas islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco and their communities, erasing any evidence of life in some neighborhoods and leaving behind a trail of heartbreak, sorrow and death. The catastrophic damage to livelihoods and billions of dollars of infrastructure on this archipelago present significant challenges to the preparedness of its tourism -dependent economy and its rescue and recovery capacity. The Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) committed itself to a restoration effort that would be far -r…

Performance indicators associated with low-carbon energy technologies in Brazil: Evidence for an energy big push

Today, Brazil and many countries around the world are seeking to stimulate economic recovery and improve people’s quality of life. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations has been developing the Big Push for Sustainability, a renewed approach to support the efforts of the countries of the region to design more sustainable development models, by coordinating policies to promote investments that will transform existing models. The ECLAC office in Brasilia and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), in conjunction …

Indicadores de desempenho associados a tecnologias energéticas de baixo carbono no Brasil: evidências para um grande impulso energético

A conjuntura atual do Brasil e dos países no mundo todo é marcada pela busca da recuperação do dinamismo econômico e da qualidade de vida das pessoas. Nesse contexto, a Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL) das Nações Unidas vem desenvolvendo o Big Push para a Sustentabilidade, uma abordagem renovada para apoiar os países da região na construção de estilos de desenvolvimento mais sustentáveis, por meio da coordenação de políticas para promover investimentos transformadores desses estilos. O Escritório da CEPAL em Brasília e o Centro de Gestão e Estudos Estratégicos (CGEE)…

Incentive mechanisms for clean energy innovation in Brazil: Paths for an energy big push

Today, Brazil and many countries around the world are seeking to stimulate economic recovery and improve people’s quality of life. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations has been developing the Big Push for Sustainability, a renewed approach to support the efforts of the countries of the region to design more sustainable development models, by coordinating policies to promote investments that will transform existing models. The ECLAC office in Brasilia and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), in conjunction …

Overview of energy innovation investments in Brazil: data for an energy big push

A conjuntura atual do Brasil e dos países no mundo todo é marcada pela busca da recuperação do dinamismo econômico e da qualidade de vida das pessoas. Nesse contexto, a Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL) das Nações Unidas vem desenvolvendo o Big Push para a Sustentabilidade, uma abordagem renovada para apoiar os países da região na construção de estilos de desenvolvimento mais sustentáveis, por meio da coordenação de políticas para promover investimentos transformadores desses estilos. O Escritório da CEPAL em Brasília e o Centro de Gestão e Estudos Estratégicos (CGEE)…

Metodologías para el uso de factores de emisión: material particulado en depósitos de relaves abandonados

Este documento fue elaborado para apoyar las políticas de sustentabilidad del Plan Nacional de Relaves liderado por el Ministerio de Minería del Gobierno de Chile (2019), que busca, entre otras cosas, disminuir y minimizar el impacto de tranques y depósitos de relaves en situación de abandono, así como contribuir a una minería más sostenible en América Latina y el Caribe. El informe técnico se focaliza en estudiar y presentar el estado del arte en el uso de Factores de Emisión (FE) para la estimación de material particulado generado desde fuentes fijas. Se abordan aspectos técnicos, así como l…

United Nations Secretary-General highlights the Escazú Agreement in his policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean

In his July 2020 brief analyzing the impact of COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean and containing policy options and recommendations to face this situation, the United Nations Secretary-General indicates that the Escazú Agreement is “a valuable tool to seek people-centred solutions grounded in nature.”…

El Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas destaca el Acuerdo de Escazú en su Informe sobre el Impacto del COVID-19 en América Latina y el Caribe

En su informe de julio de 2020 en el que analiza el impacto del COVID-19 en América Latina y el Caribe y propone opciones y recomendaciones de política para paliar esta situación, el Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas, António Guterres, señala que el Acuerdo de Escazú es “un valioso instrumento para buscar soluciones centradas en las personas y basadas en la naturaleza.”…

Amid this Harsh Pandemic and During the Recovery, We Cannot Lose Sight of the Enormous Environmental Challenge: Alicia Bárcena

Presentation by Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC “In these difficult times, we must be careful because environmental standards are being relaxed. We cannot afford this. We are facing a global public ‘bad’ – the COVID-19 pandemic – but the next one will be the climate crisis. We must build back better and that means doing so with equality and sustainability,” Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), said today during a high-level virtual event organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation…

En medio de esta dura pandemia y en su recuperación no podemos perder de vista el enorme desafío ambiental: Alicia Bárcena

Presentación de Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la CEPAL (en inglés) “En estos tiempos difíciles, debemos tener cuidado porque los estándares ambientales se están relajando. No podemos permitirlo. Estamos enfrentando un mal público global -la pandemia del COVID-19, pero el próximo es la crisis climática. Debemos reconstruir mejor y eso significa hacerlo con igualdad y sostenibilidad”, declaró hoy Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), durante un evento virtual de alto nivel organizado por la Organización para la C…

The climate emergency in Latin America and the Caribbean. The path ahead – resignation or action?

Policy Brief: Planning for resilience: an integrated approach to tackle climate change in the Caribbean

The Caribbean subregion is exceptionally vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. Vulnerability is a key multidimensional concept at the heart of resilience building, relating to each country’s multiple spatial and socioeconomic risks and conditions. In fact, due to its geographical location and concentration of population and activities in low-lying coastal areas, the Caribbean is the second most hazard-prone region in the world...Moreover, impacts of extreme weather events on Caribbean small economies are of national proportions. For example, in the hurricane s…

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.7

To Confront the Climate Change Emergency and Rethink the Post-COVID Recovery, We Must Urgently Move Towards a New, More Sustainable and Egalitarian Development Pattern

The environmental impact of the prevailing development pattern endangers the well-being of much of humankind and, in some cases, its survival. That is why it is necessary to make deep transformations in the development paradigm and in the investments that make it possible, according to a new book published today by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The publication – entitled The climate emergency in Latin America and the Caribbean: The path ahead – resignation or action? – was presented at a virtual conference by Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary. A…

Para enfrentar la emergencia del cambio climático y repensar la recuperación post COVID es urgente avanzar hacia un nuevo estilo de desarrollo más sostenible e igualitario

El impacto ambiental del estilo de desarrollo imperante hace que peligre el bienestar de buena parte de la humanidad y, en algunos casos, la supervivencia. Por ello, se requiere hacer transformaciones profundas en el paradigma de desarrollo y en las inversiones que lo hacen posible, señala un nuevo libro publicado hoy por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL). La publicación La emergencia del cambio climático en América Latina y el Caribe: ¿seguimos esperando la catástrofe o pasamos a la acción? fue presentada en una conferencia virtual por Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ej…

Para enfrentar a emergência da mudança climática e repensar a recuperação pós-COVID, é urgente avançar rumo a um estilo de desenvolvimento mais sustentável e igualitário

O impacto ambiental do estilo de desenvolvimento vigente ameaça o bem-estar de boa parte da humanidade e, em alguns casos, a sua sobrevivência. Por isso, é preciso introduzir transformações profundas no paradigma de desenvolvimento e nos investimentos que o possibilitam, assinala um novo livro publicado pela Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL). A publicação A emergência da mudança climática na América Latina e no Caribe: seguimos esperando a catástrofe ou passamos à ação? foi apresentada numa conferência virtual por Alicia Bárcena, Secretária Executiva da CEPAL. António…

The climate emergency in Latin America and the Caribbean. The path ahead – resignation or action?