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

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(f)
Send proper signals to essential sectors, especially energy, in order to encourage more
<strong>sustainable</strong> patterns of production and consumption
The measures in the energy sector should include:
(i) Overhauling policies on subsidization and re-directing expenditure in order to target the
lowest-income groups and the disadvantaged more effectively with initiatives for increasing
their access to high-quality sources of energy and steering them in the direction of less
polluting sources. Eliminating, in particular, untargeted fuel subsidies, which are highly
regressive, do not promote rational energy use, contribute to global warming and to pollution
at the local level and encourage dependent patterns of fossil fuel production and
consumption. This dependence can, in turn, give rise to economic risks in countries
importing hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon-intensive products.
(ii) Promoting energy efficiency by removing barriers for energy service companies working to
coordinate energy-efficient projects for large numbers of users/consumers (for example,
small- and medium-sized enterprises).
(iii) Implementing ongoing, <strong>sustainable</strong> public-sector procurement programmes that reward
energy efficiency and reductions in emissions of pollutants such as greenhouse gases.
(iv) Developing a framework that will promote reductions in carbon footprints through efficient
energy use and encouraging the use of renewable energy sources by removing existing
economic, regulatory, cultural, social, technical and financial barriers.
Guideline 4
Improve the coordination and consistency of public action in relation
to <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> policies
Over the last two decades it has become clear that <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> cannot be achieved through
the actions of environmental institutions alone. Policy decisions must be consistent and different
government departments should not send contradictory messages. On occasion, major environmental
protection efforts can be negated by other parallel economic incentives. For example, fossil fuel subsidies
—which are used in several countries in the region to regulate inflation or to ensure access to energy—
can cancel out investment in and environmental and <strong>development</strong> policies on low-carbon solutions.
Incentives to promote <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> in public action can be effectively incorporated
through practical action, though this is a long and complex process involving various sectors and levels of
government and requiring the alignment of public policies under one guiding strategic vision.
Sustainability, like other key areas of <strong>development</strong> in Latin America and the Caribbean, will not come
about as a result of inertia or market forces. The market and private-sector agents play an essential role,
but they need a strategic framework in the form of clear legal and economic instruments, defined by the
State in a democratic fashion with the participation of society. In order to achieve <strong>sustainable</strong>
<strong>development</strong> in Latin America and the Caribbean, the State’s capacity to play a guiding role must be
boosted so that it can lead the way among the network of public and private agents involved in
<strong>development</strong> (ECLAC, <strong>20</strong>10). A fiscal and social pact for <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> (see guideline 1) can
be reached only by carrying out a thorough exercise in coordination and coherence in public action and
encouraging participation at all levels.