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Civil Society Seeks Action Against Climate Change
Representatives of civil society are asking their environmental ministers and officials throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to include in their country’s national budgets money to be earmarked to finance activities and solutions to confront climate change as the 16thAnnual Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean is underway in Santo Domingo.
The 16thAnnual Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean is organized by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and Secretary of State for Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic with the participation of 33 countries in the region.
“The topic of financing programs to deal with climate change has to do with the tightening of our national budgets in all areas,” said Sandro Chávez, representative of Civil Soceity of Latin America from the Andean region. He pointed out that budget cuts in this region have hindered their ability to deal with the challenges of climate change and to mitigate its negative effects.
“It also has to do with decisions made by our local, regional and national governments in order to get these projects to be incorporated into environmental policy,” he added.
Mexican Carlos Gómez warned that so long as the issue of climate change is not on the front burner for most government, decisions will not be taken and therefore resources will always be lacking.
“We have to push the agenda of every country in order to make these important environmental issues a priority, across the board, on all levels of government. If the Environment Ministry is not supported by the Finance Ministry that generates the country’s spending, there will be no coordination with the Economy Ministry in order to development productive environmental projects to then pass on to the Education Ministry which will create educational programs about the issue, if the money is not there in the first place.”
The 16thAnnual Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, being held in Santo Domingo, is examining the environmental issues that are relevant for the region’s future. Among them are the integrated management of ecosystems and new strategies for stopping the deterioration of natural resources. Also, the ministers are discussing advances in the implementation of the Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean for Sustainable Development (ILAC), regional plan of action, air quality and the state of implementation and future perspectives of multilateral environmental agreements.
Adriana Valenzuela, de Colombia, Sandro Chávez, representante de la región andina de la Sociedad Civil de América Latina, Carlos Gómez (México), presidente de la sociedad, Cecilia Iglesias (Argentina), representante del Cono Sur.
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