Shaping the Durban Platform: Latin America and the Caribbean in a future High Ambition Deal

The document analyzes the results of the COP17 Durban Platform, highlighting the role of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries in bridging gaps between developed and developing nations. It argues that LAC countries should leverage their 'creative diversity' and track record of voluntary emission reductions to lead a high-ambition coalition with Africa and Asia. Key recommendations include strengthening a political narrative that decouples development from emissions growth, improving communication of domestic low-carbon successes, and scaling up adaptation and resilience planning to protect vulnerable infrastructure and food security.

• The Durban Platform established a process to negotiate a climate deal by 2015 that will enter into force in 2020, ensuring that obligations for all UNFCCC parties will be set and defeating attempts to delay stronger mitigation goals until 2020.
• The Durban outcome includes the proposed design of the Green Climate Fund, intended to channel a significant part of the $100 billion USD annual commitment from developed to developing countries by 2020, though specific capitalization commitments remain lacking.
• Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries have historically influenced negotiations by offering voluntary emission reductions in exchange for cuts abroad, with Peru being the only country to formally increase its offer since 2008.
• LAC countries exhibit a 'creative diversity' of perspectives and groupings—such as AOSIS, ALBA, and the Cartagena Dialogue—which allows them to act as brokers of consensus and influence the international debate more flexibly than a single rigid regional position would allow.
• The region faces significant vulnerabilities to climate change, but adaptation efforts are currently underdeveloped, unfunded, and hampered by insufficient technical and scientific knowledge.
• Investment in renewable energy in South and Central America reached US$13.1 billion in 2010, providing a domestic foundation for LAC countries to lead by example in international negotiations.

APA

Garibaldi, J. A., Araya, M., & Edwards, G. (2012). Shaping the Durban Platform: Latin America and the Caribbean in a future High Ambition Deal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Shaping-Durban-Platform_Final-April_20122.pdf

Chicago

Garibaldi, José Alberto, Mónica Araya, and Guy Edwards. Shaping the Durban Platform: Latin America and the Caribbean in a future High Ambition Deal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Shaping-Durban-Platform_Final-April_20122.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Garibaldi |first1=José Alberto |last2=Araya |first2=Mónica |last3=Edwards |first3=Guy |title=Shaping the Durban Platform: Latin America and the Caribbean in a future High Ambition Deal |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=March 2012 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Shaping-Durban-Platform_Final-April_20122.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{garibaldi2012shaping, author = {Garibaldi, José Alberto and Araya, Mónica and Edwards, Guy}, title = {{Shaping the Durban Platform: Latin America and the Caribbean in a future High Ambition Deal}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, month = mar, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Shaping-Durban-Platform_Final-April_20122.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }