En pie de lucha contra el cambio climático

The Climate Change is one of the biggest problems facing humanity. The emissions that cause it are directly related to our daily decisions, from how we transport ourselves to what we eat, and unfortunately we are not making the right choices. In this context, Peru is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030and to adapt to climate change. But what has been done so far to achieve this goal?

In our country, the Framework Law on Climate Change gives institutionality to this fight and commits the public sector to consider climate change in its planning and investments. Although this law does not directly regulate GHG emissions, it does introduce important instruments for the management of emissions, such as the National GHG Inventory System and the Carbon Footprint PeruThe new system for measuring emissions and registering climate action has just been launched by the Minister of the Environment, Fabiola Muñoz.

During the presentation of Huella de Carbono Peru, held at the nexos+1 executive meeting of 2019, the minister highlighted the importance of companies reporting and managing their emissions through the measurement and reduction of their Carbon Footprint, as well as the need to implement policies and commitments to reduce emissions, with a view to carbon neutrality.

Undoubtedly, in the country of entrepreneurs, with more than 2 million companies in activity, engaging the private sector can make a difference in the fight against climate change. Private investment is the largest part of national investment, and this has to be directed to low-carbon and climate-resilient projects. In this context, the State needs to generate mechanisms that encourage companies to do more, and also generate a regulation that encourages innovation towards zero-emission solutions in the private sector.

In order to integrate public and private efforts, and to have a map of priorities in this fight against climate change, it is essential to generate greater spaces for dialogue between the State and the business community. In this way, any action against climate change, from legislation to public and private policies, will have a real and measurable impact that will contribute to the great global goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.