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Latin America and Caribbean
Environmental and climate protection
Environmental protection and the protection of natural resources is an important priority area of German development cooperation with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The region's eco-systems, for example in the Amazon Basin, the Andes and Central America, are of global importance. They are habitats for many plant and animal species, storehouses of biological diversity and they play a role in regulating the global climate.
Although environmental policy is slowly gaining ground in the region, environmental destruction continues in Latin America: between 2000 and 2005, the area of forest lost was two-thirds the size of Germany. Forest clearance and intentionally laid forest fires are a major factor in climate change, which in turn makes the region even more vulnerable to extreme climate phenomena such as hurricanes, floods and droughts. The failure to offer topical forests adequate protection also threatens biodiversity.
Interest in renewable energies and in improving energy efficiency is growing in the region, although 71 per cent of energy in Latin America is still generated from fossil fuels.
Germany is intensively involved in efforts to protect natural resources and promote sustainable energies in Latin America, firstly through direct government-to-government cooperation with Latin American partner countries, and secondly through its considerable contributions to multilateral donors in the field of development cooperation such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union.
Acting in line with international environmental agreements, Germany's development cooperation is helping partner countries in the region to develop strategies for the protection and sustainable use of natural resources. The cooperation also involves support for the introduction of environmental and social standards and advice on issues of regional planning and land rights. Disaster risk management is a cross-cutting topic that is addressed in many different cooperation efforts in areas that are particularly at risk.
Support for regional networking and cooperation is another important area of German development cooperation in this context, such as promoting cross-border environmental protection and the establishment of energy alliances.
