IBEROAMERICA EARTH DAY SUMMIT CONTEXT

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THE RETURN OF

THE U.S.

TO THE PARIS AGREEMENT

President Biden set ambitious goals that will ensure the United States and the world can meet the urgent demands of the climate crisis, while empowering American workers and businesses to lead a clean energy revolution that achieves a carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035 and puts the United States on an irreversible path to a net-zero economy by 2050.

"The president is announcing that he will host a leaders' summit on climate change on April 22, Earth Day, which will include a new convening at the leaders' level of the Major Economies Forum," Kerry said. "The convening of this summit is essential to ensure that 2021 is going to be the year that really makes up for the lost time of the last four years."

Under the presidency of the United Nations COP25 on Climate Change held in Madrid, the 6 axes of the Santiago-Glasgow Roadmap were approved, to which one more was added later to shift gears and increase multi-level climate action with the representation of the most important networks representing the voice of thousands of local governments on the planet.

The first NDCs are not fully compatible with the Paris Agreement because they were all prepared prior to its adoption. In other words, they did not address key objectives such as multi-level action, neutrality in a context of climate emergency and 1.5°C targets. Therefore, the success of COP26 depends on all nations, in collaboration with local and regional governments, preparing ambitious new NDCs before Glasgow.

The heads of the governments of Santiago, Chile (Felipe Alessandri) and Glasgow, Scotland (Susan Aitken) with the approval of their city councils decided to leave the official coordination of the bridge between COP25 and COP26 in place to focus on these seven crucial pillars;

1. Increasing ambition

2. Vertical integration and transparency of NDCs

3. Localizing climate finance

4. Balanced approach to mitigation and adaptation

5. Link climate with the circular economy and nature

6. Scaling up global climate action

7. Climate justice and social equity

This helps bring more transparency, with results tracked at the global level and gives demonstrable credibility to climate action.

AN OPPORTUNITY

FOR IBEROAMERICA

For climate change to become a pillar of U.S. foreign policy, the Biden administration will need to create a constructive agenda that incorporates the priorities of its allies, but also meets Washington's objectives. In its relations with Latin America and the Caribbean and Spain, the United States has many opportunities for collaboration that would meet these objectives.

With U.S. assistance, investment in energy technologies such as smart grids, decentralized "mini-grid" systems and energy storage solutions can make grids more climate resilient. Electric transportation can also alleviate the region's air pollution problems and dependence on imported oil.

SANTIAGO-GLASGOW ROUTE:

THE GLOBAL BRIDGE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FROM COP25 TO COP26

TOWARDS COP26

21 APRIL

COP26 IBERO-AMERICA EARTH DAY SUMMIT

APRIL 22ND

SUMMIT OF EARTH LEADERS

EARTH LEADERS SUMMIT

MAY 11-13

REGIONAL CLIMATE

WEEK

THE LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN CLIMATE WEEK (LACCW2021) ORGANIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The regional Climate Weeks will provide a platform for representatives of national and sub-national governments, cities, the private sector, financial institutions and civil society to jointly discuss opportunities to better recover from the COVID19 pandemic. On the other hand, they will help recovery policies identify opportunities to incorporate ambitious measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate change.

Max Puig, Executive Vice President of the National Council on Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism of the Dominican Republic, said:

"This year's Regional Climate Weeks will have greater relevance. They will be a scenario in which the proposals for economic recovery

post-COVID and strategies to increase resilience to face the climate crisis, taking into account the three axes of sustainability, social, economic and environmental. The Dominican Republic invites and supports the countries of the region to develop together these green recovery strategies and thus guarantee the citizen security of our vulnerable peoples".

Orlando Jorge Mera, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, said:

"Despite the fact that warnings about the climate crisis have been circulating for more than 30 years, human activity, far from reducing pollution by the gases that cause it, has doubled its emissions worldwide in such a way that its long-term effects will affect all countries. Some more than others, but ours, undoubtedly, in greater proportion and intensity, due to our island status".