Sostenibilidad

As a partner for the sustainable and inclusive economic growth of Latin America and the Caribbean, the IDB recognizes that the pursuit of economic recovery through employment creation and income generation should be accompanied by the protection of natural resources and communities, including protections for the fundamental rights of workers. As the region focuses on recovery, it becomes even more important to ensure that our projects promote good working environments.

Going to the supermarket nowadays is a completely different experience from what it was ten years ago. Global trade offers us an astonishing variety of international products, brands, and flavors. We have seemingly limitless choices and an ever-growing set of digital tools that make us more informed and educated about our options.

The economic impact of climate events in the Caribbean is among the highest in the world. Improving the resilience of buildings is vital to increase preparedness to the impacts of climate change and is economically viable for many building typologies in high-risk Caribbean countries.

In rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), agriculture remains the most important source of income. In the region, 54.6 % of the rural labor force engages in agricultural production and reaches more than 80 % in Andean countries such as Bolivia or Peru. The majority of this group are smallholder farmers, who are also the most likely to face poverty and food insecurity daily.

Our life on Earth is intimately linked to forests. From the raw materials we obtain from them for construction, daily use products or medicines, to the air we breathe, we are dependent on the irreplaceable services that these valuable ecosystems provide.

Barbados is a vocal leader in the climate change agenda on the global stage and, most importantly, it is also walking the talk and starting to benefit from the results of its green growth commitments. The country is devoted to driving its economic recovery through development that is inclusive and sustainable. In this context, accelerating investments in electromobility is proving key for its business case.

In our previous posts on natural capital, the concept of ecosystem services for the integration of the environment into public economy and welfare economics has been extensively developed (see previous articles here). Ecosystem services make it possible to link the ecological function of ecosystems to the well-being of populations and socio-economic activities. Combined with other tools, they support policymaking and investment at the macro-economic level (see our article on the IEEM platform).

We all know that to build more resilient infrastructure, we need to invest more; but how much more is enough?

In 2022 efforts to address the climate crisis need to be redoubled. 2021 has been the 7th consecutive year where the global temperature has been over 1°C above pre-industrial levels. Governments are expected to push forward their plans to achieve the net-zero global target by 2025.