sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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In <strong>20</strong>08, the global average of per capita CO 2 emissions was 4.4 tons, compared with 2.9 tons in Latin
America and the Caribbean. Figure II.8 shows the variation in per capita CO 2 emissions per country between
1990 and <strong>20</strong>06. The case of Trinidad and Tobago is interesting. With an oil-based economy, the cost of energy
is lower. Although the country has supported some energy-efficiency initiatives, there are few economic
incentives to expand them. This translates in higher levels of CO 2 emissions per capita (United Nations, <strong>20</strong>10).
In all likelihood, emissions from energy sources in the region will continue to increase because,
in spite of rising energy efficiency, a growing share of renewable energy sources (see chapter I), energy
decoupling (where energy consumption increases proportionally less than GDP growth) (see figure II.9)
and decarbonization of energy (see figure II.10), these efforts are still not enough to offset rapidly
increasing energy demand. According to the energy intensity index by region for the period 1990–<strong>20</strong>07,
there has been no sustained process of energy decoupling in Latin America and the Caribbean, unlike in
other regions, or in the world as a whole, where rising incomes have been accompanied by lower relative
energy consumption levels (UNEP/ECLAC, <strong>20</strong>10).
Some countries have started to invest in low-carbon infrastructure, which could reduce carbon
emissions over the coming decades, for example by building public transport systems as an alternative to
roads that encourage car use (Li and Colombier, <strong>20</strong>09, IPCC, <strong>20</strong>07). While the large-scale impact of
climate change and the huge effort needed to decouple the economic growth trajectory from energy
consumption and emissions place an additional constraint on the region’s <strong>development</strong>, they also open up
opportunities to implement solutions that have the added effect of expanding access to services (such as
public transport), which fosters equality (United Nations, <strong>20</strong>10; ECLAC, <strong>20</strong>10a).
Figure II.9
CARBON INTENSITY OF THE ECONOMY, 1990, <strong>20</strong>00 AND <strong>20</strong>07
(Kilograms of CO 2 per constant dollar at <strong>20</strong>05 prices in purchasing power parity terms)
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
China World United States OECD
(high-income
countries)
Latin America and
the Caribbean
European Union
1990 <strong>20</strong>00 <strong>20</strong>07
Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), on the basis of World Bank, World
Development Indicators [online] http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-<strong>development</strong>-indicators.
Note: OECD does not include Chile, Mexico or Turkey.