A few brief thoughts and reflections on the relationship between Colombia and the UK on climate change and the environment. Ever since I arrived in Colombia, in October 2008, I have worked on this issue and have felt a desire - for obvious reasons - to bring the two countries closer together. A reception this evening in honour of the British Minister for Latin America, Jeremy Browne MP, in the house of the Ambassador John Dew, has prompted me to devote today's blog to a quick exploration of the following points:
1. The UK and Colombia - in the international climate negotiations - are relatively strong allies, with similar, progressive negotiating positions and both with an active role in the 'Cartagena Group', a group of like-minded countries trying to come to consensus on the key text in the negotiation. There is a climate of mutual respect and admiration between both countries with respect to the negotiations.
2. At a bilateral level, the UK gives a very small amount of money to Colombia to support environmental projects, often in donations of between 15,000 and 100,000 GBP channelled by the Embassy to different causes.
3. The UK seeks to raise high-profile awareness on climate change in Colombia, with the President and the Ministers, and does so relatively frequently. They do this bilaterally and through the G24 donors' group, the European Union and through occasional coverage in the media. John was referred to as the 'Climate Change Ambassador' in an interview in El Espectador not so long ago.
4. The withdrawal of DFID from Latin America in 2002 means there is no 'serious' bilateral money for Colombia on issues relating to development and environment, due to the country's status as a middle income country. Nevertheless, an estimated 17% of the European Union and the World Bank's projects concerning climate change and the environment here are funded indirectly by DFID and therefore the UK taxpayer.
5. There are some new funds from the Foreign Office to do with the Prosperity Agenda for Latin America, for which Colombia is applying and which are to do with low carbon growth and renewable energy. These represent an additional support for these issues here, and let's hope Colombia is successful.
6. The Colombian Government's work in highlighting the environmental impact of the cocaine trade on the rainforest and the environment, entitled Shared Responsibility, has found some echo in the UK, with the Home Office and other sectors. I do believe the Colombian Government is right to highlight this impact - deforestation caused by coca is substantial throughout the country.
This said, I am also a a firm believer in the legalisation of the global drug trade, and a steely critic of the fumigations of the coca crop by the Colombian Government (with the support of the US), as these are also undisputably highly damaging from the environmental and social point of view, with farmers losing their crops and soils irrevocably degraded. In essence, I think the Shared Responsibility argument is valid but only goes so far - and stops short of telling the full story.
7. The Prince's Rainforest Project has supported Colombia since 2009 and sought to include the country in its efforts to promote a global deal on REDD+/reducing deforestation. The team has visited Colombia and provided a lot of support one way or another. I remember an intense week in mid-2009 in which the Prince's envoy on rainforests, a very nice Dutch man named Simon Rietbergen, came to Colombia on a whistle-stop visit. We had meetings with the then Vice President and a gamut of Ministers and officials.
8. UK companies have major mining, coal and petrol interests in Colombia. I believe the UK's deep commitment to buying Colombian coal goes against the rhetoric about low carbon growth and climate change. I also believe the mining for gold and other minerals represents a serious environmental threat in Colombia, despite the commitment to corporate social responsibility which the companies seek to demonstrate. There is a definitely a paradox here; a gap between the discourse and the economic interest.
9. Mauricio Rodriguez, Colombia's Ambassador in London, has made a huge effort to position Colombia in the UK for its biodiversity, natural parks and environmental richness. A sign of his success, amongst many others, is the invitation which Oxford has extended to Sandra Bessudo to participate as a keynote speaker in the Smith School's Ecosystems and Biodiversity conference in June.
10. A number of environmentalists and environmental organisations in the UK - Bird Life International, Tony Juniper, and others - know a lot about Colombia and value its biodiversity greatly. This is the country with the world's largest number of individual bird species, after all (1801).
To conclude: the two countries are intertwined on this issue in a multitude of ways.
My personal belief, and what I would most like to see, would be for the UK to give substantial amounts of funding to Colombia to address climate change, forest protection/REDD and the other issues of the day. I believe Colombia is a worthy beneficiary of the UK Government's allotted funds on REDD, Low Carbon Growth and climate change adaptation.
There is no immediate sign this willl happen, however - although Sandra's visit in June, followed by President Santos' state visit to London in November, give us the best possible chance. I am cautiously optimistic, and I do believe we must try.
In any case, the most important thing is that the world manages to come to a globally binding deal in Durban at the end of this year. The UK and Colombia are set to play an important part in these negotiations, and the closeness and trust between both countries in this context is a very positive achievement. Long may it continue.
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