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According to reports from the region’s countries, contained in national communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the main sources of GHG emissions relate to changes in land use, forestry, agriculture and energy consumption. Brazil stands out as the highest emitter of GHG caused by land use changes, accounting


for more than 800,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The importance of agriculture in the region can also be seen in emissions figures, with Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Jamaica and Colombia accounting for a significant share of total emissions for the sector. In terms of emissions resulting from energy consumption in the region, Mexico and Brazil account for the greatest share, with a combined total of more than 500,000 tons of CO2


equivalent


(figure 3.7). This structural composition is vital in considering the various possible regional mitigation measures that could be adopted.


In addition to CO2


important role in the region are methane (CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2


, other GHG that play an )


O), which are produced


primarily in the sectors of waste management, mining, industrial processes, and in the production and distribution of natural gas, petroleum and agricultural products. Among the region’s countries, Brazil is the highest emitter of both methane and nitrous oxide. Other countries that account for a major share of emissions of these gases in the region are Mexico, Argentina and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (figure 3.8).


Available evidence indicates that energy intensity – the ratio between energy consumption and gross domestic product (GDP), expressed in purchasing power parity (PPP) at 2005 prices – in Latin America and the Caribbean remained almost constant in the 1980-2007 period. This shows that the region has not made the progress necessary, in terms of energy efficiency, to reduce its emissions of GHG. The stagnation in energy-intensity levels in Latin America is probably related to the weakness of, or lack of priority in, the energy efficiency policies of the region’s countries,


Greenhouse gas emissions per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2005 (Excludes land use change) Metric tons of CO2 equivalent per capita


0 5 10 15 1 20 25 30


Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay


Venezuela (Bolivarian Rep. of) Argentina


1,2 Suriname 1,2 Bahamas 1,2 Guyana


Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Mexico


1,2 Barbados


1,2 Antigua and Barbuda Chile Brazil


1 Paraguay 1 Jamaica


Colombia 1,2 Belize


1,2 Saint Kitts and Nevis


1 Cuba Ecuador 1 Panama


1Dominican Rep. Peru


1,2 Grenada


1,2 Saint Lucia 1 Costa Rica 1 Nicaragua 1,2 Dominica


1,2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 Honduras 1 Guatemala


1 El Salvador 1 Haiti


Notes: 1. PFC, HFC and SF6 data not available; 2. Int’l Bunkers data not available.


Source: ECLAC on the basis of Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) Version 7.0. (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute, 2010).


Figure 3.6 25


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