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

63
Box I.4
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION IN THE REGION
In line with principle 8 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the Latin American and Caribbean
region has joined the international community in its commitment to work towards the establishment of more <strong>sustainable</strong>
production and consumption patterns. To that end, the region has embarked on a number of different initiatives.
By its Decision No. 12/<strong>20</strong>03, the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the
Caribbean established the Council of Government Experts on Sustainable Consumption and Production and tasked it
with promoting and facilitating the adoption of <strong>sustainable</strong> consumption and production patterns. The Council is
composed of representatives of each country’s focal point for <strong>sustainable</strong> consumption and production, which, in
most cases, is located in the national agency or ministry responsible for environmental affairs.
The results of a survey of the focal points for <strong>sustainable</strong> consumption and production in <strong>20</strong> countries of the
region indicate that a great deal of work is being done in this area. Most of the countries have launched initiatives to
step up the pace of the transition to <strong>sustainable</strong> consumption and production patterns and, in nearly half of them,
these initiatives have been incorporated into the countries’ national <strong>development</strong> plans. A similar number of
countries have opened the way for participation in design and implementation tasks by other public-sector agencies
working in such areas as economics and transport. Little headway has been made in implementation, however.
Training, technical assistance, various forms of recognition and incentives are the most commonly used
tools for promoting <strong>sustainable</strong> consumption and production patterns in the region. Laws, regulations and penalties
relating to market creation and damages are being applied in very few cases. The types of incentives for <strong>sustainable</strong>
consumption and production patterns that are being used, for the most part, are measures designed to provide
financing for environmental investments, tax incentives and voluntary agreements. In most cases, special forms of
support are provided for small and medium-sized enterprises (e.g., awards, quality certifications, technical
assistance, tax breaks and other incentives).
A number of countries have launched <strong>sustainable</strong> government procurement initiatives. Most of these projects are
still in their initial stages, however. All the countries that responded to the survey said that their advocacy of <strong>sustainable</strong>
consumption and production patterns has been based on a participatory process and that they have set up information and
training networks dealing with sustainability issues, including those relating to consumption and production.
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Technology Management Center of Costa Rica (CEGESTI), “Consumo
y producción sustentable (CPS). Estado de avances en América Latina y el Caribe”, <strong>20</strong>09 [online] http://www.redpycs.net/
MD_upload/redpycs_net/File/Reuniones_Regionales/Reunion%<strong>20</strong>Colombia/informe%<strong>20</strong>cps%<strong>20</strong>alc%<strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>09-28%<strong>20</strong>agosto
%<strong>20</strong>09.pdf.
(a)
Mining and hydrocarbons
A number of countries in the region have a long tradition of mining and hydrocarbon production.
In some of them, these industries are a major driver of economic activity, account for a large share of
exports and are an important source of fiscal revenue (Altomonte, <strong>20</strong>08; Campodónico, <strong>20</strong>09). In fact, as
noted earlier, the economic growth attained by the region in <strong>20</strong>03-<strong>20</strong>08 was closely related to the upswing
in demand for commodities, including mineral products and hydrocarbons, which figure prominently in
the region’s export matrix (see figures I.18 and I.19).
Since the 1990s, global hydrocarbons and mining industries have undergone major changes
which have included their consolidation and transnationalization. In the region, regulatory reforms were
introduced in these sectors in the 1990s as part of a policy package designed to bring about structural
changes (opening up trade, liberalizing the financial sector, downsizing the public sector and offering
incentives for foreign investment) in the region’s economies (Sánchez and Lardé, <strong>20</strong>06). The depth and
nature of these reforms, particularly in terms of the role to be played by State enterprises, varied across
countries and differed between the mining sector and the hydrocarbons industry. In some countries, Staterun
oil companies began to regain lost ground in the early <strong>20</strong>00s.