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Responding to climate change

Climate change is currently one of the greatest challenges facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis with economic, health and safety, food production, security, and other dimensions.

The UN Environment Programme works in Latin America and the Caribbean with governments, civil society and private sector to address climate change priorities and to achieve greater understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change on the economy and human wellbeing.

The organisation strives to strengthen local and national capacities to address the impacts of climate change; develop strategies and public policies for integrating climate change in development planning and investment; and the implementation of pilot projects to catalyse the action on climate change.

The effects of greenhouse gasses emissions are real and increasingly present. We can still prevent dangerous changes in climate systems if we transform our carbon based energy systems and start implementing adaptation programmes with adequate funding to prevent disasters and migration at unprecedented scales.

The tools are available, but they must be applied immediately and aggressively.

Programmes and projects

Regional Gateway for Technology Transfer and Climate Change Action for Latin America and the Caribbean (REGATTA)

REGATTA´s objective is to strengthen capacity and knowledge sharing of climate change technologies and experiences for adaptation and mitigation in Latin America and the Caribbean. See more

MOVE

MOVE is an initiative to accelerate the transition to electric mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean. It works towards strengthening the regional capacity to evaluate new technologies, implement public policies, create new business opportunities, and identify funding channels. See more

CityAdapt

The CityAdapt project promotes climate resilience in urban areas through the implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate change adaptation in cities of Latin America and the Caribbean. See more

Microfinance for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (MEbA)

The MEbA project seeks to provide vulnerable rural and peri-urban populations with access to microfinance products and services that allow them to invest in activities that improve their income, increase their climate resilience and use ecosystems sustainably. See more

Climate Transparency

This initiative supports the development of transparency in public climate policy. It establishes guidelines and strengthens instruments to monitor the progress of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Latin American and Caribbean countries. See more

Community of Support to National Adaptation Plans

The objective of the PNACC community of practice is to assist Latin American countries in the formulation and execution of national adaptation plans, within the framework of the Global Program to Support National Adaptation Plans. See more

EUROCLIMA

Regional Partnership on climate change between the European Union and Latin America.  It aims to promote integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies into public policies and planning processes throughout Latin America. See more

United Nations collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (UN-REDD)​

The UN-REDD Programme was launched in 2008 and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNEP. See more