The coronavirus crisis is a critical priority for Latin American and the Caribbean decision makers as they respond to the health emergency and push social distancing to lower the curve. The pandemic represents the region’s most severe economic challenge since the Great Depression and will cause between 1.8 and 5.5 percent of GDP growth reductions this year.
The coronavirus pandemic is first and foremost a human tragedy, as known cases surpass one million and over 50,000 people have died. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said recently that the fight against COVID-19 is the world’s immediate priority.
The images of dolphins swimming close to the docks in the Sardinian port of Cagliari due to reduced ferry traffic went viral as people enjoyed watching nature return to areas normally busy with human activity. Elsewhere, unusually large numbers of birds are returning to beaches in the Peruvian capital, Lima. While these images suggest a positive link between nature and the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is far more sinister.
In order to respond to the environmental challenges we face, the building sector has stepped up and has responded with an increase in green or environmentally sustainable buildings. In the current market, there are many systems that assess the environmental conditions of buildings and that, for those that meet certain criteria, make them eligible for recognition through certification. Some of these certifications are well known, for example, LEED (United States), BREEAM (United Kingdom), VERDE (Spain) and DGNB (Germany).
Countries in the Caribbean tend to have a rough time when it comes to extreme weather like hurricanes. Due to their geography, they’re usually more susceptible to disasters and extreme weather events, have limited access to freshwater and land for agriculture, and scarce development options and international trade opportunities. The climate crisis risks exacerbating this precarious situation.
Within organizations today, many decisions must be taken at different levels: strategic, operational, and administrative. Each decision produces an impact, and, in a fully digital era, well-informed decision-making is an important differentiating factor.
In recent days, over a million people across Latin American cities hit the streets for International Women’s Day. These marches over violence against women and strict abortion controls are part of wider unrest rejecting huge inequality and scant opportunities. Women are also among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, which are getting worse. In Chile, a 10-year long drought has left almost half a million people with no direct access to water.
Haiti is one of the countries with the highest risk index for natural disasters in the world and one of the highest indicators of lack of resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean. Year after year, the hurricane season arrives between June and November, generating extreme weather events including rain, strong winds, fast and slow floods, and landslides.