Source: TN23 (Guatemala)
Guatemala's Minister of Environment, Mario Rojas Espino, who is participating in the United Nations Summit on Climate Change COP26, presented the initiative called -Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica
Espino, who also represents Central America in his capacity as president pro tempore of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), made the first presentation to the Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund.
The official explained that the initiative is an alliance between government, indigenous peoples and civil society, which seeks to eradicate deforestation, improve forest governance, strengthen livelihoods, reforest and restore forests in the region.
With support from the GEF, a preparatory process is underway to formulate a concept note and submit to the Green Climate Fund a proposal for a Regional Program to support, in the long term, the Mesoamerican Forests initiative, which we are sure we will be able to achieve next year," said the Guatemalan official.
He also made a presentation at the Euroclima+ pavilion, where he highlighted the financing provided by the European Union through its program for the Development of Intelligent Innovation through Research in Agriculture.
During his speech, he emphasized the high vulnerability of Guatemala and Central America to the extreme atmospheric effects of climate change.
Guatemala's losses, due to the damage caused by the effects of climate change in recent decades, amount to US$6,270.9 million. Faced with this harsh reality that we live in, I request that Central America be recognized as a region highly vulnerable to the impact of losses and damages imposed by natural disasters and the need to opt for agile and quality climate financing, as well as parametric insurance to help us rebuild the infrastructure that we are forced to rebuild year after year," said the minister at the conference.
One voice
Rojas Espino, as president pro tempore of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development of the Central American Integration System, explained that the Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index places at least three Central American countries among the 10 most affected by extreme weather-related events in the last two decades, and Guatemala is one of them.
He also indicated that "the Report of the National Intelligence Council of the United States, places Guatemala among the 11 countries worldwide as highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change". Among the factors that affect are geographic location, poverty rates and social conditions.
The least polluting countries face the greatest risks due to climate variations, so Rojas Espino has met with high-level executives and representatives of different sectors, in order to show how Guatemala and Central America face atmospheric events resulting from climate change.
Likewise, the minister called on the parties, so that the objectives defined in the Paris Agreement prevail and allow developing and vulnerable countries, such as Guatemala and the Central American region, to respond in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, according to current capacities and national circumstances.
"It is essential to ensure the financial and technical conditions of Central American countries to achieve the objectives in terms of resilience, adaptive capacity and mitigation to climate change, through long-term strategies low in emissions, and ensure respect, protection and promotion of traditional and ancestral knowledge, sustainable livelihoods of indigenous peoples and the inclusion of gender equity, in accordance with the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2030, under the principle of leaving no one behind," concluded Rojas Espino.
International cooperation on climate change issues is being managed
In addition to these participations, the official met with representatives of indigenous peoples to reiterate the country's commitment to the incorporation and formulation of projects on climate change.
He also held meetings with representatives of Euroclima+, to whom he reiterated the main proposal of the region, to be able to count on financial resources to address the vulnerability caused by the effects of climate change.
Later, he spoke with Juan Pablo Bonilla, Climate Change and Sustainability Manager of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The meeting focused on the possibility of the IDB providing technical and financial support to address issues such as the sanitation of the Motagua River.
What is the Mesoamerican Forest Initiative?
*The bill presented by Espino focuses, as its name indicates, on five large forests:
*The Maya Forest, which includes the territories of Guatemala, Mexico and Belize.
*The Moskitia in Nicaragua and Honduras.
*The Indio Maíz-Tortuguero in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
*Talamanca region, which includes Costa Rica and Panama.
*The Darien, which is located between Panama and Colombia.
Details about the forests of Mesoamerica
The forests of Mesoamerica cover more than 120,000 square kilometers combined; they are home to more than 7.5 percent of the planet's biodiversity, such as the endangered jaguar and Central American tapir.
They also contain nearly 50 percent of the region's forest carbon, and provide important ecosystem services to five million people, including clean water, clean air, food, security and climate stability.
Source: TN23 (Guatemala)