Aside from safeguards and restrictions, Mr. Alves’ insights on renewable resources stood out to me the most. He recognized that renewable resources are oftentimes viewed as expensive because of the high initial capital needed to develop a plant. However, after the initial financing, renewable energy can potentially be cheaper than other substitutes and can still be competitive.
Mr. Randy Hayes, the President of the Rainforest Action Network, in contrast to other panelists, provided a historical overview of events that according to him changed the way people lived and eventually led to climate change. Mr. Hayes argued that climate change problems began when Americans shifted from being hunters to agriculturalists in the late 1700s. Things grew worse from the invention of the steam engine where people started to dig for coal. Mr. Hayes suggested that climate change is not the problem, but rather a consequence of harmful unanticipated uses of technologies.
Ms. Maryse Robert, Director of the Department of Economic Development of the OAS moderated the second panel. Ms. Claire A. Kfouri, a Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist of the Global Water Practice at the World Bank Group, made an impressive presentation. She presented a case study about a water project financed by the World Bank in Lebanon. This presentation was insightful and culturally interesting. She also acknowledged that although water is scarce, due to months of drought, the country is relatively small, so the little water they do get is substantial.
I realized that when comparing national resources and the effects of climate change, it’s important to be mindful of the population size and other relative measures. It was surprising to hear that poor households in Lebanon spend on average 18 % of income on water compared to the US, where households spend on average 3 % of income on water. Moreover, Ms. Kfouri emphasized the importance of regulation compliance when developing a project in need of funding by the World Bank. She stated that a priority to the World Bank is safety. She shared her experience with an organization who was seeking to develop a well in Lebanon and needed her help in fulfilling the extensive and time-consuming safety demands and research by the World Bank. Ms. Kfouri argued that although the presence of climate change has been validated, a lot of rain and resources would still be required to fulfill the water needs of Lebanon’s population.
Another panelist that distinguished himself was Mr. Charles E. Di Leva, Chief Counsel of the Environment and International Law Practice Group of the World Bank’s Legal Vice-Presidency and Legal Advisor to the Climate Change Solutions and the Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice Group. He recognized that the climate change issue is not new to the World Bank, in fact, the organization has been aware of the problem since 1982. He compared the task of policy development with the difficulty of negotiating a treaty because of the difficulty of getting a consensus from all countries involved and creating mutual policies. His presentation was unique because he acknowledged that policies should be modernized. He argued that policy-makers need to consider that several Latin American countries have recently experienced significant government changes; hence it’s imperative to promote harmony during policy development and to develop ways to bring countries together. Lastly, Mr. Di Leva suggested that safeguard development should be approached from a non-discriminatory lens, account for vulnerable groups, and aim for social policies to expand its social range. By doing so, policies can be more effective and promote social inclusiveness.
Ms. Aracely Nunez-Mattocks, Chief-of-Staff of Inspector General and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Mr. Eduardo Ismael Guity, a Certified Drilling Fluids Engineer and Advisor for SUDECC Inc. made a joint presentation on the effects of climate change on the Garifuna communities of Central America. A major effect of climate change that threatens the Garifuna communities is the rise of sea levels along coastal areas where the Garífuna communities are located. They spoke about the impact on agricultural and fishing activities as a result of the increase in average temperatures, the irregular rainfall patterns and pesticide run-off from industry. These factors threaten the survival of plant and animal species in the communities. They explained that the impact of climate change is so great that it’s affecting the indigenous groups, which often don’t have a voice or vote in the choices of what industry or companies move in their vicinity.
The Climate Change Policy and the World Bank Safeguards Panel Discussion was an educational event that promoted climate change awareness. From the insights of the panelists and other climate change awareness initiatives and policy regulation, it can be argued that climate change is the social dilemma of the century that may threaten the world today and the future generations to come. Hopefully, the outcomes of the 2015 Paris climate negotiations will facilitate the enforcement and implementation of better policies at the international level.
