Argentina—Standing Still
In a recent article titled “El país, más activo contra el cambio climático” (The Most Active Country Against Climate Change), Lucas Viano highlights some of the positive steps Argentina has taken since the Paris Agreement. The author cites influential climate experts like Juan Carlos Villalonga to show that the country appears intent to meet and even improve its climate commitment. In fact, Argentina was the first country to announce that it would increase its climate commitment from an unconditional 15% reduction in greenhouse gasses to 18%. Other significant gestures include the creation of a new National Cabinet for Climate Change and declaration of 2017 as the “Year of Renewable Energy.”
While Argentina is taking positive actions on one hand, some critics argue that the country is simultaneously making counterproductive moves. In a recent article, “Renewables Help Fight the Energy Crisis: Argentina’s New National Energy and Climate Policy,” the positive measures taken by the Marcri Administration are juxtaposed with negative environmental actions that are currently underway or planned for the near future. For example the government plans to ramp up gas and oil-fired thermoelectric power production which will solidify Argentina’s fossil fuel dependence. The Government is also rolling back export taxes on the agricultural sector which environmentalists fear will lead to an increase in already-high levels of deforestation. According to the author, Enrique Konstantinidis, the key weakness in Argentina’s approach to climate change is that there is no long-term strategy for decarbonization. He calls for a unified national plan that will cover multiple sectors and move the country toward sustainability.
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Article in La Voz about Argentina’s climate activity: http://www.lavoz.com.ar/ciudadanos/el-pais-mas-activo-contra-el-cambio-climatico
Article by Enrique Mautua Konstantinidis—Director for Climate Change at Fondacion Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN): https://germanwatch.org/en/13268