Covid-19, an opportunity to change the economic model to more climate friendly
The National Director of Climate Change of the Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente), Ligia Castro de Doens, highlighted the Covid-19 disease, represents a unique opportunity to combat economic inequality and climate change.
Castro de Doens expressed that the economic and financial planning must assess climate risks and opportunities, taking into consideration that the different sectors and items that the country has must be addressed in a sustainable way, after overcoming the health emergency that the pandemic imposed.
She added that the model should be focused on being friendly to the environment, such as working in resilient human settlements because the health crisis caused by Covid-19 and the climate crisis demonstrate the need for environmental and territorial planning at the national level and in all municipalities based on the Climate Change Vulnerability Index, so that by managing climate and environmental risks we can build sustainable development, resilient to the extreme effects of climate and climate change, which already impact public and private infrastructure, from the local level.
While the issue of agriculture, livestock and sustainable aquaculture, are important to guarantee the food security of the country, reducing emissions and increasing the resilience of subsistence agriculture and the sustainability of livestock, agriculture and aquaculture to supply the domestic market and export, through a climate-smart approach throughout its value chain, which also allows facing possible new pandemics.
On the issue of biodiversity, Castro de Doens explained, the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as the one Panama is currently going through is associated with environmental changes due to the loss of ecosystems and species as a result of the transformation of land use by human activity. Climate change, if not slowed down, would hinder the achievement of sustainable development. "Our rich biodiversity and protected areas can generate green jobs for economic reactivation from the local level through sustainable ecotourism and scientific research," she said.
She added that to comply with the Paris Agreement this year, the country must present the National Climate Action Plan for which they reviewed and expanded the determined national commitments, which will serve as the basis for the elaboration of the National Environment Plan, which in turn they must deliver to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
She added that the model should be focused on being friendly to the environment, such as working in resilient human settlements because the health crisis caused by Covid-19 and the climate crisis demonstrate the need for environmental and territorial planning at the national level and in all municipalities based on the Climate Change Vulnerability Index, so that by managing climate and environmental risks we can build sustainable development, resilient to the extreme effects of climate and climate change, which already impact public and private infrastructure, from the local level.
While the issue of agriculture, livestock and sustainable aquaculture, are important to guarantee the food security of the country, reducing emissions and increasing the resilience of subsistence agriculture and the sustainability of livestock, agriculture and aquaculture to supply the domestic market and export, through a climate-smart approach throughout its value chain, which also allows facing possible new pandemics.
On the issue of biodiversity, Castro de Doens explained, the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as the one Panama is currently going through is associated with environmental changes due to the loss of ecosystems and species as a result of the transformation of land use by human activity. Climate change, if not slowed down, would hinder the achievement of sustainable development. "Our rich biodiversity and protected areas can generate green jobs for economic reactivation from the local level through sustainable ecotourism and scientific research," she said.
She added that to comply with the Paris Agreement this year, the country must present the National Climate Action Plan for which they reviewed and expanded the determined national commitments, which will serve as the basis for the elaboration of the National Environment Plan, which in turn they must deliver to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.