Report

DELEGATION MEMBERS AND STAFF

On 23 June and 5 July 2022, Marc Serré, MP, Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, led a delegation to the 6th Gathering of ParlAmericas’ Parliamentary Network on Climate Change (PNCC), which was held virtually. The other delegates were Senator Rosa Galvez, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section and President of the PNCC, and Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, MP, member of the Canadian Section’s executive committee.

The delegation was supported by Julie Pelletier, Association Secretary, and Alison Clegg, Advisor to the Canadian Section.

ACTIVITIES DURING THE 6TH GATHERING OF PARLAMERICAS’ PARLIAMENTARY NETWORK ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The theme of the 6th Gathering of the PNCC was how parliaments can help to support a clean energy transition and achieve a “green future.” The event was co-hosted by the parliaments of Dominica and Guatemala and was designed to build on ideas discussed at the IX Summit of the Americas.

A. Interparliamentary Dialogue: 23 June 2022   

1. Opening   

Joseph Isaac, Speaker of Dominica’s House of Assembly and member of ParlAmericas’ Board of Directors provided welcoming remarks. Similarly, Guatemalan Member of Congress Erick Martínez Hernández – President of the Committee on Environment, Ecology, and Natural Resources in Guatemala’s Congress and President of the Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change – welcomed participants.

Outlining the meeting’s focus on actions that could accelerate the energy transition, Senator Galvez noted that participants would be examining strategies and legislative initiatives relating to two sectors with high greenhouse gas emissions – energy and transportation – and considering gender equality, as well as the need for policies that promote good jobs, sustainable livelihoods, and affordable and accessible electricity. Senator Galvez pointed out that these themes had been discussed at the IX Summit of the Americas, where heads of state had adopted two declarations relating to climate action: a declaration entitled Accelerating the Clean, Sustainable, Renewable, and Just Energy Transition; and a declaration entitled Our Sustainable Green Future. Drawing attention to two initiatives specific to ParlAmericas, Senator Galvez commented that the heads of state had also approved a mandate to promote parliamentary participation through ParlAmericas as an integral part of the Summit of the Americas process and highlighted the launch of ParlAmericas’ primer on climate finance in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2. Session 1: Promoting renewable energy systems and enhancing transportation to reduce emissions.   

Mexican Senator Verónica Camino Farjat, President of ParlAmericas’ Parliamentary Network for Gender Equality, noted the “triple crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and moderated a session with presentations by:

• Andrea Palma, Technical Advisor for the EUROCLIMA+ Urban Mobility Programme, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); and
• Devon Gardner, Head of Technical Programmes at the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

Mentioning the EUROCLIMA+ Urban Mobility Programme’s activities in Latin America, Andrea Palma pointed out that more than 80% of the region’s population lives in cities and emphasized the importance of policies that “translate” national climate goals into local urban transportation–related actions, such as promoting public transit and “active mobility” (i.e., human-powered transportation).

Devon Gardner stressed the role of energy and energy systems in helping to achieve sustainability in the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, and underscored energy’s role in both providing social and environmental benefits and contributing to economic growth. As well, Devon Gardner referred to data indicating that the increase in storms, floods, droughts, hurricanes, etc. that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had predicted is occurring. Explaining that good governance is the “glue that holds everything together,” Devon Gardner noted that energy systems in the Caribbean must be designed with multiple objectives: withstand the impacts of climate change; reduce emissions; and lead to “desirable” social change.

3. Session 2: Intersecting sectors, perspectives, and role of parliaments   

Senator Camino Farjat moderated a round table discussion among:

• Lake Sagaris, Researcher and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Institute for Sustainable Development at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile;
• Denell Florius, Youth entrepreneur, and Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of EcoCarib, Caribbean Regional Coordinator for Youth Climate Lab;
• Laura Serna, Youth Champion for the Escazú Agreement for Colombia, and a lawyer at the Legal Clinic of Public Actions at Universidad del Rosario;
• Honourable Kerrie D. Symmonds, Barbados’ Minister of Energy and Business Development; and
• Costa Rican Deputy Óscar Izquierdo Sandí.

Lake Sagaris highlighted the potential for transportation mode change in urban areas, where many vehicle trips are very short and could be accomplished by using electric bicycles rather than cars or motorcycles, assuming that such bicycles are accessible and affordable. Moreover, Lake Sagaris pointed out that, when urban transport is planned with the needs of women in mind, the result is a design that benefits everyone.

Commenting on challenges associated with being a climate entrepreneur, Denell Florius drew attention to such difficulties as accessing investment capital in the Caribbean, and noted the importance of developing policies that could make green energy more accessible.

Laura Serna underlined the need to support young leaders from remote areas so that they have the legal tools required to protect their communities’ lands and rights.

Minister Symmonds mentioned Barbados’ energy policy and observed that the country’s legislature has incentivized the development of renewable energy while incorporating gender considerations.

Finally, Deputy Izquierdo Sandí described Costa Rica’s successful experiences with decarbonization, highlighting both a law supporting green transportation and a law relating to payment for environmental services.

4. Closing   

Member of the National Assembly of Suriname Radjendrekoemar Debie, who is the PNCC’s Second Vice-President for South America, provided closing remarks that argued for including women, youth and marginalized people in climate-related decision making, especially in the context of the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events due to climate change.

B. Plenary: 5 July 2022   

1. Opening   

Guatemalan Member of Congress Julio César Longo Maldonado – Secretary of the Board of Directors of Guatemala’s Congress and President of the Environment and Tourism Committee of Parlatino (the Latin American parliament) – provided opening remarks. As well, Speaker Isaac pointed out some of the Dominican government’s climate-related work, such as investing in housing to reduce damage from increasingly frequent and intense hurricanes and aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2030

Finally, in welcoming participants, Mexican Senator Raúl Bolaños-Cacho Cué – President of the Mexican Senate’s Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change and the PNCC’s Vice-President for North America – summarized the events that had occurred on 23 June 2022.

2. Session 3: Supporting sustainable and inclusive agriculture and land-use practices to reduce emissions.   

Identifying ways to decouple social and economic prosperity from increases in emissions, and drawing attention to potential ways to reduce emissions based on science and the principles of social justice, Senator Galvez moderated a session with presentations by:

• Mercedes Bustamante, Professor in the Department of Ecology at the University of Brasilia, member of the Science Steering Committee of the Science Panel for the Amazon, and an author of the IPCC’s Working Group III report entitled Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change;
• Osana Bonilla-Findji, Science Officer for the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Climate Smart Agricultural Practices Flagship program; and
• Jamaican Senator Matthew Samuda, who is Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, and Co-Chair of the NDC Partnership.

Mercedes Bustamante highlighted the IPCC’s Working Group III report, entitled “Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change,” which is focused on trends and opportunities in the Agriculture, Forests and Other Land Uses emissions category, and indicated that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reduced more quickly if sustainable development is going to be possible.

Providing examples from ParlAmericas’ member countries, Osana Bonilla-Findji explained that gender-sensitive, sustainable agriculture that is adapted to climate change – “climate-smart agriculture” – can help to promote food security and resilience in rural areas.

Senator Samuda described Jamaica’s involvement in the NDC Partnership and described the NDC Partnership’s role in helping more than 100 developing countries to enhance and implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. As well, Senator Samuda noted that countries work on both mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and that the NDC Partnership offers finance-related support as countries respond to climate change.

3. Session 5: Conclusions from the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Regional Seminar on Climate Change for Parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean   

Uruguayan Senator Raúl Lozano Bonet, Bureau Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU’s) Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, summarized the IPU’s Regional Seminar on Climate Change for Parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean, which had been held from 28–30 June 2022 in Montevideo, Uruguay. In particular, Senator Lozano Bonet provided suggestions for parliamentary actions and efforts regarding climate change, such as supporting legal frameworks that prioritize clean energy transitions and increase climate finance and advocating for the rights of underrepresented and marginalized groups in decision making about environmental issues affecting their communities.

4. Session 6: Parliamentary presentations on Reducing emissions and enhancing resilience in the transportation, energy, and land-use sector.   

Noting the urgency of reducing GHG emissions, and emphasizing the role of parliamentarians in ensuring that their countries both achieve their NDCs and incorporate the ideas of youth, experts, academics and others in their responses to climate change, Honduran Member of Congress Fátima Mena Baide moderated an inter-parliamentary dialogue with presentations by:

• Brazilian Deputy Arlindo Chinaglia;
• Argentinian Deputy Graciela Camaño;
• Senator Galvez;
• Deputy Izquierdo Sandí;
• Ecuadorian National Assembly member Luis Bruno Segovia, who is the PNCC’s First Vice-President for South America;
• Haitian Senator Patrice Dumont;
• Paraguayan Senator Blas Lanzoni Achinelli; and
• Senator Lozano Bonet.

Senator Galvez’s presentation both outlined selected Government of Canada efforts designed to reduce GHG emissions and drew particular attention to: the carbon pollution pricing system, which aims to reduce emissions by assigning a cost to them; Climate Action Incentive Payments, which return funds collected through carbon pricing directly to Canadian households; and the Government’s commitment to developing a “clean electricity standard,” which would require a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.

5. Closing   

National Assembly member Segovia read the final declaration for the 6th Gathering of the PNCC. Deputy Izquierdo Sandí was elected as the PNCC’s Vice-President for Central America, and Senator Galvez provided closing remarks.

Respectfully submitted,

Marc Serré, MP

Chair, Canadian Section of ParlAmericas