Latin America and the Caribbean
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Bioenergy > Regions > Latin America and the Caribbean
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Information on biofuels and bioenergy in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
Contents |
Sub-regions / Countries
Click the country names to see pages about specific countries. (Blue links indicate pages that exist in the wiki; red links indicate pages that do not exist yet.)
- Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago
- Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama
- South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Region-wide organizations/networks:
- Intergovernmental organizations:
- InterAmerican Development Bank (IADB) - multilateral development bank financing development projects and activities in the region.
- Interamerican Ethanol Commission - Launch website: http://helpfuelthefuture.org/
- Nongovernmental organizations:
- Forum of Resistance to Agribusinesses
- LAC-CORE - Latin American and Caribbean Council On Renewable Energy - Works to "optimize energy security, energy access, environmental stewardship, technology leadership and development," and cooperation among "Latin American and Caribbean countries".[1]
- Latin America Thematic Network on Bioenergy (LAMNET) - "The main objective of LAMNET is to establish a trans-national forum for the promotion of sustainable use of biomass in Latin America and other emerging countries."[2]
News
- Agrofuels in the Americas: An Irrational Strategy, 28 April 2009 by Organic Consumers Association: "The Food First report, Agrofuels in the Americas (PDF file), looks back over the last several years of the ethanol/biodiesel boom. The authors conclude that using crop land to produce fuel is an irrational strategy – one that negatively affects climate change, the environment, food security, and rural development worldwide."
- "According to a study in the report by Guatemalan researcher Dr. Laura Hurtado, the agrofuels boom has already led to 'considerable loss in the amount of land available for food cultivation' in Guatemala;...small family farmers are being pushed off their land, agribusiness firms are expanding colonial-style plantations, and the human right to food of thousands of indigenous farmers has been systematically violated."
- "Similar evidence from Brazilian activist Maria Louisa Mendonça finds that 80% of Brazil's carbon dioxide emissions come from deforestation in the Amazon – largely driven by the expansion of soy monocultures....Mendonça debunks the myth that agrofuels are good for rural development in Brazil, citing numerous workers rights violations, industry concentration, health risks to workers, and land evictions."[3]
- Download the Food First report, Agrofuels in the Americas (PDF file).
- IDB launches interactive Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard 9 September 2008 press release by the IADB. The Inter-American Development Bank released an interactive tool known as the Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard on September 9th, during the 4th Annual Western Hemisphere Energy Security and Cooperation Forum, held at IDB's headquarters in Washington DC. and as part of a comprehensive effort to ensure that biofuel investments produce social, economic and environmental benefits. The Scorecard addresses 23 key environmental and social issues such as food security, greenhouse gas emissions, water management, land use change, biodiversity or poverty reduction. The IDB is inviting comments and suggestions regarding the Scorecard, which is available at www.iadb.org/secci, during a six month public consultation period that will end in March 2009.
- IDB lends $269 million for three Brazilian ethanol plants 23 July 2008 press release by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) regarding the Board's approval of three loans today: “At a time of soaring food and energy prices, it is crucial to develop renewable fuels that don’t compete with food crops,” said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. “After examining the social, environmental and economic dimensions of these projects for more than a year, we concluded that they will produce clean and sustainable energy and provide quality jobs—without impacting food prices in any way."
- Biofuels industry grows in Latin America, 22 July 2008 by Reuters: "Latin America is emerging as an important producer of biofuels, taking advantage of good climate and soil conditions."
- The age of ethanol? 14 June 2008, in IDB América. "Brazil has shown the world that biofuels can be used to reduce dependence on petroleum. But will other Latin American nations follow its lead?"
- Brazil's president says biofuel crops are not pushing up food prices, 10 April 2008 by the International Herald Tribune:"Brazil's president insisted Thursday that crops used for ethanol are not responsible for driving up food prices, and said Haiti — where food riots have erupted recently — could benefit from a biofuel industry."
- Biofuel Holds Promise for Caribbean 6 December, 2007, According to Caribbean Net News, Caribbean nations have a large incentive to export to the United States because of an exemption from the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff, thanks to the 1983 Caribbean Basin Initiative.
Events
2009
- 17-18 February 2009, Bogotá, Colombia: Andean Stakeholder Outreach Meeting for the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. To download the agenda, click here (PDF file) (en (Español)). (Themes: biofuels, Latin America, standards, sustainability)
- 18-20 March 2009, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Southern Cone Stakeholder Outreach Meeting for the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. To download the agenda, click here (PDF file) (Version Español (PDF file)). (Themes: biofuels, Latin America, standards, sustainability)
- 22-23 April 2009, São Paulo, Brazil: BioPower Generation Americas. (Themes: Latin America, biomass, commercialization)
- From the conference website: "The inaugural BioPower Generation Americas event will highlight the developments and opportunities in Latin America’s biomass power generation market. There is great potential in the region for bio power to satisfy the increasing demand for energy. Key issues to the development of the market include setting effective policies and developing secure, sustainable feedstock supplies. Another opportunity is the benefit of CDM as a co-financing option for biomass power generation. This event will look at the entire bio power generation value chain to evaluate the main opportunities for this continuously growing sector in Latin America." [4]
- 7 October 2009, Mexico City, Mexico: Biofuels Markets Mexico & Central America (Themes: algae, biodiesel, biofuels, Central America, ethanol, Mexico, policy, sugarcane)
- 9-10 September 2009, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: From Crude Oil to Biofuels - Trends Impacting Global Fuels. (Themes: markets, Latin America, technology, trade)
- 28-30 September 2009, São Paolo, Brazil: Regional Workshop on Ways and Means to Promote the Sustainable Production and Use of Biofuels. Organized by the Convention on Biological Diversity. (Themes: biofuels, Latin America, sustainability)
- 15-16 October 2009, Montego Bay, Jamaica: The Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (PDF file) (Themes: biomass, Caribbean, Latin America, Renewable energy)
2008
- 24 January 2008, Miami, Florida: Energy Business Forum - Biofuels in the Americas: Technology, Investment, and the Path Forward (Themes: biofuels, international cooperation, investment, Latin America and the Caribbean, technology, trade)
- From the conference website: "The purpose of the conference is to catalyze the development of biofuels in the Americas....Energy security and sustainability in the Americas can and should be pursued by developing a portfolio of biofuels to supplement traditional fuel supplies. The recent MOU between the USA and Brazil underlines the determination of the two top biofuel-producing countries in the world to help the entire hemisphere move towards greater energy security through collaborative efforts."[5]
Issues
Trade - The Caribbean Basin Initiative.
| Latin America and the Caribbean | edit | |
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Regional institutions: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard) | International Ethanol Commission | ||
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