Considering that Latin America and Caribbean’s region is provided by important natural resources, producing clean energy is a fact that will help promote it as the next economic and environmental leader.
First, the region has 27% of non-salt water resources available in the world which brings an opportunity to produce hydroelectric energy; such as, in Ecuador, many rivers located in the highland and amazon regions are composed by strong waterfalls that are used as huge hydroelectric infrastructures.
Also, there are around 700 million land hectares to cultivate many organic products like corn, sugarcane, and many others, which are the components to produce biodiesel. For example, in the past two years the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), partnering with international aviation companies, has been developing sustainable bio-jet fuels in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia reducing the carbon emissions in the industry.
Moreover, most countries in the region are located in the Climate Torrid Zone where the sunlight is permanent during the year and it becomes an opportunity to use solar energy as a new renewable source. In Salta – Argentina, IDB has been using solar energy to provide heating and cleaner cooking in rural places, where electricity is not implemented. South America and the Caribbean region has the advantage to produce clean energy based on water resources and organic products thanks to the weather conditions and the natural richness.
Sources:
PNUD. “América Latina y el Caribe: una superpotencia de biodiversidad”, 2010.
IDB. “IDB launches regional initiative to support Sustainable Aviation Biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean”
IDB. “Energy in Latin America and the Caribbean: Opportunities and Challenges”
