Experts at the FLEV advocate for greater market pressure to accelerate climate action in Latin America.

São Paulo, Sep 4 (EFE) - Public policy experts agreed Thursday that greater market pressure on governments is needed to encourage them to take a greater interest in climate change, during a panel at the 3rd Latin American Green Economy Forum, organized by EFE.

For experts, some governments, such as the current United States administration, appear to focus more on market issues than on the climate agenda, so it is important for financial actors to play a fundamental role in decision-making to achieve a more sustainable economy.

According to Claudio Providas, the United Nations Development Program's resident representative in Brazil, the fact that major cities like Miami, for example, are almost above sea level will make them uninhabitable in a few years.

Regarding Miami, "a 10 or 20 centimeter rise in sea level will make many of today's luxury condominiums" uninhabitable or, at the very least, force residents to move "to the second floor."

And he emphasized that "there is evidence" that a "new green economy that responds to everyone's interests" can exist.

Therefore, he defended the need to maintain active multilateralism and cited the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), to be held in November in Brazil, as an opportunity to bring new solutions.

Providas was one of the experts who participated in the "America Asks" segment, one of the new features of the third edition of the forum organized by the EFE Agency, in which speakers answered questions about climate change submitted by ordinary citizens from across Latin America.

At his side, former Peruvian minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, global leader of climate and energy at WWF International, agreed that the economy is already showing signs that the process toward sustainability is "irreversible."

"Talking" about climate in Latin America and Europe

Márcio Astrini, executive secretary of Climate Observatory, the main network of civil society organizations dedicated to environmental protection in Brazil, stated that, in political terms, "talking about climate" is different in Latin America than in Europe.

In Latin America, public opinion considers climate to be a problem, but it is not always prioritized when allocating public budgets.

"There are social issues of survival in certain (Latin American) countries that mean the (climate) issue has not yet reached the same level of priority in terms of public policy as in developed countries," the specialist said.

He also explained that just as needs vary, the consequences of climate events also impact different regions differently.

"When we discuss this, we're discussing a common issue. Climate change will affect all countries, but the consequences of these extreme events are completely different," he confessed.

He cited the case of the French government, which recently developed a contingency plan for rising global temperatures.

In its report, France "considered a warming of up to four degrees," and in other countries, "an increase of up to four degrees is not feasible for adaptation."

The challenges facing a green economy are topics addressed at the 3rd FLEV, sponsored by ApexBrasil, Brazil's export and investment promotion agency; Norte Energia, the concessionaire of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant; and Lots Group, a company that provides solutions for decarbonizing the logistics sector.

It also has the collaboration of Imaflora, the Climate Observatory, and IBMEC University, in whose auditorium the meeting is being held.

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