Early this year, the Institute formally launched its Environment & Climate Change (EC2) program to support and promote the private sector’s role across a wide range of activities ranging from: sustainable financing, green bond project funding, establishing measurable commitments for CO2 emission reductions and/or debt for nature swaps to protect the region’s biodiverse rich marine and terrestrial habitats from destruction or degradation. The Institute’s strategic priorities will be in the following key areas:
- Sustainable financing (green, blue and social bonds, impact investments, and debt for nature swaps) for renewable energy, clean public transport, green buildings and protection of critical marine and terrestrial habitats in Latin America;
- Reviving regional coastal economies in Latin America tied to environmentally responsible tourism;
- Promote expanded exports of environmentally-friendly products by Latin American small and medium sized (SME) companies embracing the circular economy;
- Coastal climate resiliency
Key priorities will be addressed through the following goals and objectives:
- Expand the sustainability leadership capacity in Latin America by educating, informing and empowering sub-national governments and companies in the region in the areas of sustainable financing, ESG competitiveness, renewable energy and climate resiliency;
- Develop public programs and undertake inter-disciplinary research leveraging the collective expertise of practitioners in business, government, civil society and academia to focus on emerging environmental, human health and climate change issues facing the region with a focus on with a focus on environment & business, marine and coastal eco-systems, energy transitions & renewable energy and climate change resiliency;
- Share knowledge on emerging trends, innovations, solutions and best practices from around the world to help communities across Latin America better respond to emerging environment, health & climate change challenges;
- Facilitate collaboration and dialogue among key private, public and nonprofit stakeholders through public programs focused on the region’s emerging environment, health & climate change challenges.
Among the Institute’s first programmatic initiatives will be undertaking work to determine the feasibility of blue carbon tied nature-based solutions for carbon sequestration in the Californias. A forthcoming study and forum is expected in late Summer 2021.
Learn more about the Institute’s Environment & Climate Change program.
