UNFCC: Colombia and Uruguay Present their Climate Action

Ongoing efforts to promote transparency in how developing countries report the actions they take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their effects reached a new milestone at last month’s Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week (LACCW 2022) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

For the first time since its establishment in 2014, the technical analysis of Biennial Update Reports submitted by developing countries detailing their climate action, has taken place within the region, rather than in the UN Climate Change host city of Bonn, thereby increasing the visibility of the process. The countries involved were Colombia and Uruguay.

Colombia and Uruguay have each submitted their third Biennial Update Report. With each submission, the countries advance in their reporting processes and come one step closer to fulfilling the requirements of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement. Transparent reporting is regarded as the bedrock for building trust among countries and monitoring progress towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals.

Through their reporting, these two countries demonstrated that they are striving to transition to a low-emissions economy, despite the current global economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Bringing the TA to the region of the countries whose BURs are being assessed can bring significant benefits to the process, both for the UN Climate Change secretariat and the participating experts. Further, regional-based technical analysis raises the visibility of the process by providing the opportunity for countries of the region to become directly involved.

The experience and lessons learned during this piloting will provide useful insights and guidance for designing and implementing reviews under the Enhanced Transparency Framework.

Examples of Policies, Strategies and Programmes Adopted to Mitigate GHG Emissions

Colombia

An important sector in which Colombia has shown significant progress is Agriculture and Land Management. Between 2014 and 2015, 24.5 million hectares of land were identified to be suitable for commercial forest plantations.

Colombia is committed to using this strategy to achieve a double goal: meeting its timber demands while also enhancing its carbon sinks by ensuring the sustainable management of 1,500,000 hectares of forest plantations for commercial purposes, whose productivity has increased by 20% compared to 2016.

Furthermore, Colombia is seeking to achieve a 165,000 tCO2eq emission reductions by increasing the number of zones dedicated to cocoa cultivation under agroforestry systems, as well as the rehabilitation of low-yielding cocoa trees.

Uruguay

Uruguay is taking important steps in the transport sector to promote the use of electric vehicles. The country already has several measures in place, including tax reductions on the purchase of electric vehicles and reduced permit costs for electric taxis. By 2020, 32 electric buses and 76 electric taxis had been incorporated in the fleet.

Another noticeable achievement in the transport sector is the completion of the first electric route in Latin America that connects the cities of Colonia – Montevideo – Chuy. The objective is to install the necessary infrastructure to allow electric vehicles to travel on the highway connecting them. By 2020, 37 charging stations had already been installed on a 550 km stretch.

Regional-based Technical Analysis to Continue at Upcoming Africa Climate Week

The second regional TA will take place during the Africa Climate Week 2022, (29 August to 2 September in Gabon), where the reports of three African countries – Eritrea, Morocco and Rwanda – will be analyzed.