November 09, 2021

Latin America makes important commitments at COP26

topic:	Climate action
located:	Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru
editor:	Ellen Nemitz

The first week of COP26 is over and Latin American countries have so far discussed many commitments. Land use and deforestation, which drive greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss, were among the main highlights.

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Mexico, among other nations, signed the deal to end deforestation and restore natural landscapes by 2030. As of 5 November, more than 130 countries have endorsed the declaration; they represent 90 percent of the world's forests, which are responsible for sequestering "around one third of global CO2 released from burning fossil fuels each year," according to the United Nations. 

Some analysts are hesitant to trust the goal. Similar deals have been made in the past and not carried through, such as the failed New York Declaration on Forests in 2014 - although at the time, key countries like Brazil were not on board. On the other hand, there is still space for optimism. "Few previous climate COPs discussed nature and forests on the scale now seen in Glasgow," said the ecologist Cristián Samper, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City.

In addition, the Global Methane Pledge that will likely reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 was signed by more than 100 nations, including Latin Americans such as Brazil and Mexico. This is an important step considering that methane has a more potent effect on global warming than CO2 and represents a major part of cattle ranching-emissions.

Besides land and forests, the ocean is also a reason for concern when it comes to conservation. During COP26, Ecuador announced a welcomed enlargement of the marine reserve around the Galapagos Islands. Together with Colombia, Panamá and Costa Rica, the deal is set to create an interconnected corridor of more than 500,000 square metres where fishing will be strictly regulated, protecting migration routes for several species. 

Besides the main agenda attended by governmental representatives, young activists and indigenous leaders went to Glasgow to raise their voices for climate action and justice. Txai Suruí's speech called attention to the Earth's claim for a change in our behaviour. She quoted her father's words that "we must listen to the stars, the moon, the wind, the animals and the trees" to notice that the planet is warming, animals are disappearing, rivers are dying and plants are not flourishing as they did before. "The earth is speaking. She tells us that we have no more time," Txai said. "We need a different path. It's not 2030 or 2050. It's now." 

With one more week to go, COP26 is already being called one more failure due to its non-disruptive speeches and deals. “'Small steps in the right direction', 'making some progress' or 'winning slowly' equals losing," tweeted the outstanding youth leader Greta Thunberg. Nonetheless, it's valuable to keep Txai Suruí's words in mind: "It's always necessary to believe the dream is possible. May our utopia be a future on Earth."

Photo by Vlad Hilitanu

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