Climate Change in Latin America - European Commission

Table 2
Country
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela
Table summarising the causes of environmental pollution and the production of GHGs
in the 18 Latin American countries, or physical factors that increase vulnerability to climate impacts
(Source: questionnaires).
Environmental Problem
Deforestation / transformation of natural environments, mining operations,
overexploitation of fauna and natural sites, iInterruption / modification of watercourses.
Deforestation, mining, change in soil use and degradation of soil.
Deforestation / transformation of natural environments, energy.
Deforestation, geographical concentration, uncontrolled industrial processes.
No data.
Change in soil use, increase in number of obsolete vehicles, demographic pressure in
metropolitan area.
Soil degradation, reduced forestry coverage, pollution, loss of biodiversity,
lack of water.
Deforestation and soil use change, forestry, enteric fermentation, waterlogging of rice
and transport.
Deforestation, transport and solid waste.
Electricity generation, transport, deforestation.
Energy, transport, land use change and forestry, industry, waste.
Deforestation, energy, transport, land use change and forestry, industry, waste.
Land-use change, agriculture and energy.
Deforestation, production of greenhouse gases.
Deforestation and soil use change, demographic pressure, extensive farming activity.
Deforestation, energy, agriculture.
Transport, agriculture.
Progress on the agricultural front, deforestation, oil pollution, mining.
Figure 2 shows how GHG emissions are distributed in
percentage between the energy, industrial processes,
agriculture, waste and land use change and forestry
sectors. The data from Central American countries
lacks information about emissions from the farming
sector. As regards the Mercosur countries, data for
emissions from each sector in Paraguay lack details
about CO 2
emissions from the energy, agriculture and
waste sectors.
There are no great differences in the three subregions
(Central American Integration System (SICA),
Andean Community and the Southern Common
Market) between the distribution of GHG emissions
per sector in percentage terms, although the average
deforestation rates in the Central American countries
are almost double that of the South American
countries.
The link that exists between demographical increase
and energy use, with a tripling of CO 2
production,
suggests that investment in energy systems has been
directed towards production systems that use large
amounts of fossil fuel.
The greatest differences can be seen within the
sub-regions, where Cuba and Uruguay stand out as
countries that have achieved a positive and effective
reforestation policy (their reforestation rates are 32%
and 66% respectively, over 15 years).
Argentina, Chile and Mexico are the other countries
whose LUCLUF CO 2
emissions stand at less than
30%.
The data on emissions from the agricultural sector
is incomplete. However, the countries that generally
produce a greater proportion of emissions in
this sector are the Mercosur countries: Uruguay,
Paraguay, Argentina and the CAN countries Bolivia
and Ecuador.
Cuba is the country in the region that depends most
on fossil fuels for energy production, followed by
Mexico, Venezuela and Chile. The countries with the
greatest emissions from the transport sector are:
El Salvador, Chile, Mexico and Costa Rica. Colombia,
Mexico, Argentina and Chile are the countries that
emit the greatest amount of gas from waste.
Other analyses show a parallel between emissions
produced by the 18 Latin American countries and the
27 EU Member States. The numerous points where
the two groups of countries coincide confirms that
there could be interchange of experiences in dealing
with these issues.
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