The country has taken important steps toward meeting this ambitious goal, but there is much to be done, and more than a few challenges to be overcome. To better understand the situation, Granma spoke with Luis Hilario Bérriz Pérez PhD, president of the state enterprise Cubasolar, who believes, “We can become a leader in terms of renewable resources, as we are in many other areas.”
Before focusing on the issue of renewable resources, could you comment on some of the strengths of our energy policy.

The national energy policy has changed, I would even say radically, and one of the events that showed this was Irma. In the wake of the hurricane, the country was left at zero in terms of electrical generation. This is the first time that has happened. But by a week later, Havana had reestablished 95% of its service, and the country had practically 100% of its electricity within a month.

This can sometimes be perceived as normal, something we’re used to. But we can understand the difference when we look at Puerto Rico, since despite the United States being one of the world’s most powerful empires, the island still has not recovered in terms of energy, since Hurricane Maria hit. This reflects several issues and the first is, without a doubt, the social system. This happens here because we have demonstrated that we have a highly resilient energy policy, based essentially on distributed generating that lends itself to a very rapid recovery.

Beyond this undeniable reality, we know that demand for energy in Cuba is growing, making clear the need to search for alternatives, such as the use of natural gas, biogas, and renewable resources, to ensure the country’s economic sustainability…

That’s right. In 2017, 58% of energy use was concentrated in the residential sector, and moreover, the greatest portion of this energy was used for cooking and refrigeration. Some experiments and statistical analysis have shown that, for example, expanding sales of bottled gas could allow for a reduction in the maximum demand of around 360 MW.

Another very interesting fact is that, Cuba’s territory, of about 111,000 square kilometers, receives solar radiation equivalent o the energy produced by 50 million tons of oil, everyday. That is, the solar radiation Cuba receives in a single day, is greater – in its energy value – than all the oil consumed in five years. Imagine the impact, if we were able to take advantage of this incredible potential, to use increasingly more of our own energy resources.

The estimated projection is that by 2030, renewable resources will be used to generate 24% of the country’s electricity, and these could provide for 60% of the growth in consumption.

Among the terms used in relation to the issue is making our homes and state institutions “energy-plus” sites. What does that mean?

To explain this aspect, we must refer to Decree-Law 345, “On the development of renewable resources and efficient use of energy.” This regulatory framework allows for something I would call a revolution within our Energy Revolution. To date we have been thinking about consumption, and this decree is telling us that we can become producers of energy, that the electric company can buy the energy we are able to produce.

Of course, to do this, knowledge and resources are indispensable. For example, if I want to have hot water in my house, using solar energy, either I need a heater, or I need resources and information to make a heater. Or if I want to become an energy producer, I need a photovoltaic panel. Therefore, another big challenge is the production of these elements by our national industry.

This decree also allows for the gradual elimination of obstacles and customs tariffs on importing equipment that operates with renewable resources, or resources for their construction.

A change of mentality, and lots of information, are very much needed, because we have learned to protect ourselves from the sun and use oil, but it’s time to change this behavior and take advantage of the infinite possibilities of solar energy.
But using the energy is not enough, it must be collected and stored, right?

Storage is an indispensable element if we want to become a country of producers and not of net consumers. For example, if you ask most local authorities about the energy they have at their disposal, they talk to you about the national plan, what is allocated to them, but this what is given to them, not what they have. The energy you really have at your disposal is that you have managed to accumulate.

Accumulation must be based on the final use. If you need water, you need to collect water. If you need light, you need to collect and store electricity.

To get an idea of what this means, we could explain to people that the radiation their houses receive, on just one square meter of their roof, is equivalent to their home’s entire monthly consumption. This is where the local factor comes into play, because this process must take place at your house, at mine…
Considering the principles of sustainable development, could we say that it has a direct relationship to our socialist social system?

I use a formula that for me is the answer to that question: Renewable Energy Sources + Accumulation of Energy + Socialism = Sustainable Development. Anyone can talk about sustainable development, but it is not a capitalist concept. It is a concept that necessarily involves human solidarity, in which the social being is always placed above money.

DECREE-LAW 345

- Article 6. The production of equipment, means, and replacement parts for the development of renewable sources of energy, and those needed to increase efficiency in the use of electrical energy and fuel, constitutes a strategic objective for the nation’s industry.

- Article 7. New construction undertaken as part of investment projects, will use architectural designs that contribute to energy savings, in accordance with what has been established in current legislation.

- Article 8. Individuals and incorporated entities can acquire equipment using renewable energy sources and others that allow the efficient use of energy at moderate prices, or through bank loans, in accordance with principles established in current legislation for the granting of credit.

- Article 10.1. Incorporated entities which import raw materials, components, parts, pieces, equipment, and accessories for the execution of an investment projects, or which fabricate equipment, devices, and spare parts for the use of renewable energy sources, will enjoy tariff exemptions, following procedures established by the Ministry of Finances and Prices.

- Article 15.1. The Ministry of Energy and Mines will promote the production of energy by consumers, including the residential sector, on the basis of technologies that take advantage of renewable energy sources to allow for self sufficiency and sales of any surplus to the national electric grid.

- Article 15.2. The Electric Union will buy all electricity generated with renewable sources of energy produced by independent producers, as long as established technical norms are observed.

(Granma)

In the case of this island, the chronogram has as main organizer the United Nations Development Program – Cuba, focused on the effects of Climate Change to the dangers of floods and droughts in the center-north of the country, affected by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

In addition to Camagüey, the largest region of Cuba with 16,000 square kilometers; Ciego de Avila turns out another province with over a dozen coastal municipalities fully involved, and where it is intended to strengthen the capacity of comprehensive management for preparation, response and prevention against threats of floods and droughts.

A system composed of several specialists from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA), will allow during 18 months to carry out a set of actions to improve adjusting capabilities to climate variability.

In statements to the press, Elvilayne Vidal, administrative assistant of the Risk and Disaster Area of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), assured that work will be carried out on ‘the expansion of connections for the transmission of hydrological data and the revision of the protocols of prevention of the reservoirs.’

EUROCLIMA + Cuba is extended by another 25 municipalities in the center and north of the country; in subsequent stages Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey, with a total of 7 underground basins and the same number of superficial basins of provincial or national interest.

(Prensa Latina) 

Speaking during a press conference, the Cuban official noted that other important issues for the region, such as tourism and trade, will also be addressed during the event.

The maritime connectivity work program entitled “Uniting the Caribbean by Air and Sea” for example, features documents such as maritime route maps of the area, currently in its fifth stage of development; a port and maritime strategy, and short distance maritime transport, coordinated by a Mexican entity.

According to Sierra, all activities taking place this week in Cuba represent an opportunity to promote regional cooperation and consensus.
The Cuban official also reported that a series of projects featured within the association’s Action Plan, established in its 7th Summit held in Havana last year, will be presented during this First ACS-AEC Cooperation Conference.

The event will be attended by representatives of associated member states, observer nations, other relevant countries, and United Nations programs and funds, in order to strengthen relations with the Caribbean community.

This First ACS-AEC Cooperation Conference was jointly convened by the organization’s Secretary General and Cuba, in its role as president pro tempore of the bloc’s Ministerial Council, and seeks to boost cooperation among members of the Community.

(Granma)

In the case of Cuba, the influence of this complex weather phenomenon, which affects sea temperature and air pressure, saw record temperatures in 2015, the warmest year since 1951. In addition, the dry season (November 2015-April 2016) saw above average rainfall, totalling 414.7mm nationally, representing 124% of the historic average.

It is worth mentioning that the larger extent of this accumulated precipitation fell in the period from November, 2015 – January, 2016, as February and March saw rainfall below expectations. Fortunately, these latter two months did not see severe thunderstorms or significant coastal flooding, common effects of a strong ENSO cycle.

As reflected in the Bulletin of Climate Surveillance for June, published by the Climate Center of the Cuban Institute of Meteorology, most forecasts now suggest the beginning of the La Niña event (the cool phase of the ENSO cycle) from September.

As noted previously, the presence of the La Niña phenomenon tends to result in increased cyclone activity in the tropical Atlantic basin. This is particularly possible in the months of August – October.

(Granma)

For years the target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been to stabilize the atmospheric concentration of these at a maximum level of 450 parts per million (ppm). That goal requires cutting GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050, which would ensure that the change in global temperature does not exceed 2 degrees Celsius.

As things stand today, achieving this goal of 450 ppm appears very difficult. To do so, the richest countries of the world should already be markedly reducing their emissions and by 2025, which is really just around the corner, the greenhouse gas emissions of all countries, rich and poor, should be falling. The possibility of achieving this goal exists, but is at risk of vanishing.

The twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Paris in just a few weeks time. The basic draft document for the COP21 negotiations has already been released (October 5) and is marked by serious problems. It is a 20-page document from which the fate of humanity literally hangs.

As is known, in the framework of the negotiations ahead of COP21, each country is called to present their independently determined national commitments (now known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs).These commitments beg the following question: Who determines the emission reductions that each country should apply?

Since negotiations on reductions and emission ceilings have been stalled for years (to be exact, since shortly before COP15 six years ago in Copenhagen), it was thought that it would be better to allow each country the absolute freedom to establish its own national goals.

Today we have before us the national commitments that have been voluntarily presented to the UNFCCC secretariat. The result is truly discouraging. Several renowned economists have calculated the sum of all these national targets and found that they correspond to an equivalent of just 44 gigatons of CO2, when what is required is a cut of 55 gigatons by 2050 to keep on track for climate change of just 2 degrees Celsius.

It is to be expected that between now and the beginning of COP21 in the French capital, several countries will amend their national commitments in order to achieve that goal. But the negotiation document has a flaw: it does not contain a mechanism to ensure compliance with these Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

In reality, there is little hope of stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases at 450 ppm. To achieve this goal, greenhouse gas emissions can not exceed the maximum level of between 800 and a thousand gigatons of CO2: yet since 1880, 535 gigatons have already been emitted. Meanwhile, 250 gigatons have already been allocated to investments made in infrastructure linked to the fossil fuel industry in all its forms. Companies that have made such investments will wish to recover them and thus will do everything possible to ensure their facilities continue to operate and emit gigatons of CO2. That is, we are stuck on a path toward some really nasty surprises in terms of climate change.

There are also forces within the financial world that tend to keep us trapped on this path. Today the top 200 businesses related to the fossil fuel industry have a market value of around 4 trillion dollars and a good portion of that amount is based on the value of their reserves. If a strong agreement were achieved at COP21, with a clear commitment to reduce emissions, the value of these reserves would suffer a sharp downward adjustment, perhaps of up to 60 percent.

The connections between the fossil fuel industry and the financial world are very strong and this would bring with it serious consequences. For example, it is estimated that pension funds and individual retirement accounts in the United States have 47 percent of shares in the oil and natural gas companies of the country. Clearly, in the financial sector there is also reluctance to change the energy profile of the global economy.

Only pressure from the peoples of all countries can counteract these forces. Perhaps there is still time, beyond what happens at COP21.
(La Jornada)

Given this situation, the debate on climate change and its socio-economic implications has taken precedent, as well as the need for countries and institutions to adopt strategies to prevent global warming and its fatal consequences.

The majority of these discussions are taking place in the context of negotiating multilateral policies stemming from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (effective since 1994) and the Kyoto Protocol (2005).

From 1995 to date, yearly meetings – known as the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – have been taking place; during which various agreements designed to address the problem have been adopted, but which thus far continue to be insufficient in order to effectively combat climate change.

This year, in December the 21st International Climate Change Conference will be held in Paris, France. One of the main aims of the event is to reach a defining global agreement on the fight against climate change.

Dr. Ramón Pichs-Madruga, deputy director general and senior researcher at Cuba’s World Economy Research Center (CIEM) and member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Bureau, highlighted the importance of establishing a global, legally binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In an interview with Radio Habana Cuba, Dr. Pichs-Madruga stated, “The conference is being held in a context where advances have been insufficient. Thus far we have seen a process advancing at two different speeds: on one hand there are scientific studies on climate change which are progressing rapidly, with reliable research, reports and analyses demonstrating the impact, causes and consequences of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as strategies and responses by countries to tackle the situation; and on the other, multilateral policy negotiations are progressing at a much slower and checkered rate.”

“The results, therefore, have been limited, and have failed to meet the expectations and demands presented by scientists as viable ways to advance along a path of sustainable development, conscious of the challenges represented by climate change,” he states.

A BIT OF HISTORY…

More than a decade ago, the majority of the world’s nations signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to reduce global warming and adopt measures to combat the inevitable rise in the planet’s temperature.

In 1997, world leaders agreed to add a new clause to the agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, which includes legally binding measures and with a commitment to reducing carbon emissions by 5% during the period 2008-2012.

“With this Protocol a quantitative commitment to reducing greenhouse gasses – in particular by industrialized nations – was adopted,” explains Ramón Pichs-Madruga, also a Master of Social Sciences graduate.

”The first period of the Protocol ended in 2012, during which new commitments – scheduled to come into effect in 2013 – were agreed upon. This still hasn’t happened due to the failure of various countries to ratify them, thus demonstrating how slow and fragmented the process of multilateral negotiations has been,” he notes.
During the 2011 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Durban, South Africa, the adoption of the so-called Durban Platform – a global pledge to negotiate a new international climate treaty by 2015, which will come into effect in 2020 – was highlighted as one of the most important outcomes of the event.
According to Pichs-Madruga, this is one of the reasons why the world is expectantly looking toward the Paris Conference.

THE IPCC: AN ORGANIZATION WITHOUT BORDERS
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created in 1988, in order to comprehensively review and assess the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding climate change, its causes, possible repercussions and response strategies.
Every seven years the international organization issues an assessment report in order to provide governments with a range of options to tackle the phenomenon, without making policy recommendations.
The organization and its reports on the current state of scientific knowledge concerning the potential impacts of, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, is crucial to providing political leaders thorough and reliable information, which could contribute to their decision making, especially when a global climate change agreement is imminent.
Currently effective is its Fifth Assessment Report, finalized at the end of 2014 by over 800 scientists from the organization’s 85 member countries, including three work groups: physical science basis; impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and climate change mitigation.
In comparison to previous reports, the current document puts greater emphasis on assessing the socio-economic impacts of climate change and its consequences for sustainable development, regional aspects, risk management and adaptation and mitigation responses.
The report warns that the continuation of greenhouse gas emissions at their current rate will cause increased global warming and drastic changes to all components of the climate system, thus increasing the probability of generalized and severe consequences which could affect all levels of global society and the natural world.

According to Ramón Pichs-Madruga, “There are three main messages in the Fifth Report. One is that global warming is undeniable and that there is ever increasing evidence that human activity is the predominant cause of greenhouse gas emissions.”

“The second message is important because it relates to the lack of significant action taken by countries in response to the phenomenon; and if harmful gas emissions continue to increase, the effects of climate change will be even stronger, more extreme and more generalized.”
”And the third message is that there are still achievable responses to this problem, but immediate action must be taken given that, the longer the delay, the greater the associated costs and risks will be,” notes the expert.
The Cuban economist states that adaptation solutions exist. “We can ensure that impacts remain at a manageable level through targeted mitigation actions. In this sense, efforts to reduce energy consumption – thus reducing carbon levels in the atmosphere – would be of vital importance.”

One of the objectives under discussion since 2010 has been ensuring that the Earth’s temperature does not exceed 2ºC above pre-industrial levels.
According to Ramón Pichs-Madruga, by 2050 we would need to see a significant reduction of between 40 to 70 percent of 2010 greenhouse gas emission levels, in order to achieve this goal.

“It’s a difficult target which demands a great effort from an economic, technological and institutional point of view, but it is still achievable. However, it won’t be viable forever, either we act now or lose the opportunity, the window of action is shrinking rapidly,” he notes.
”This is why the IPCC talks so much about the need for immediate action, given that any delay means the risks and associated costs will be greater in the future. It’s true that investments for mitigation actions cost, but the cost of inaction is much greater than the cost of response to climate change strategies,” warns the Cuban researcher.

Sixty-four years ago, unprecedented changes in our Earth’s climate over decades to millennia were observed. The report concludes that atmospheric and oceanic temperatures have increased, volumes of snow and ice have decreased, sea levels have risen and the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere have soared staggeringly in comparison to their levels 800,000 years ago.

TOWARD PARIS 2015

After the Copenhagen debacle of 2009, the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012, the previous commitment made in Cancun 2010 not to maintain global temperatures below 2ºC and the IPCC report (2014), it has been internationally acknowledged that a global and legal agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be reached at Paris 2015.
The conference is being held at a crucial moment and must result in an international accord on climate change with the potential to limit global warming.
According to Ramón Pichs-Madruga “unfortunately, to date, actions taken by countries have not be sufficient enough to advance toward fulfilling the aim of maintaining global temperatures below 2ºC”.
So, since the 2011 Durban Conference, calls have been made to reach a global agreement to combat climate change, thus all countries are expectantly looking toward Paris as the event in which this goal might be achieved.

Historically the Conferences of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have been spaces where differences between the North and South have been put on display.

“Unfortunately the biggest losers tend to be those who have contributed the least to the problem. The most vulnerable are generally the poorest regions, which lack the ability to respond to many of the effects of climate change,” he states.

CUBA TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

Despite being a country with a low rate of carbon emissions, Cuba has made historic contributions to the fight against climate change. There exists on the island a high level of political will to deal with the issue, which has been prioritized by the Cuban government.
”Cuba has made significant advances when it comes to adaptation, mitigation and international cooperation,” states Ramón Pichs-Madruga.
”In regards to adaptation actions, we have one of the most renowned metrological and extreme weather warning and response systems; important investments have been made to develop farming methods and crops better adapted to high temperatures: work has been undertaken to more effectively exploit water resources through diversion mechanisms; while the issue continues to take precedent in campaigns, research and studies,” explains the specialist.
”In regards to mitigation, since 2005 Cuba has been implementing a program which promotes the use of renewable energy sources. These actions – part of the Energy Revolution – are of vital importance to the reduction of energy consumption and consequently carbon emissions,” he states.

Cuba has had a strong presence in the work of the IPCC since its foundation. The creation of its Fifth Assessment Report saw the contribution of six Cuban authors, including Ramón Pichs-Madruga.

The Cuban economist has been affiliated with the group since 1997, working primarily with the IPCC Bureau. In 2008 he was elected as co-president of the Work Group 3 responsible for climate change mitigation assessments.

(Diario Granma)

The maneuver, which pretends to keep alive the clean development mechanism although the mitigation commitments of developed countries expire, was described immoral during the plenary session of the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol.

The mechanism is one of the resources of flexibility created by the Kyoto Protocol to facilitate developed countries comply their duties on climate matter.

In face of the perspective by many industrialized nations not to prorogate the Kyoto mitigation commitments, they pretend to continue enjoying the benefits emerged as part of the pact, approved in that Japanese city in 1997.

The stance of the nations opposed to the maneuver is the clean development mechanism expires on December 31, 2011, whether a second period of commitments of the Kyoto Protocol is not safe.

The mechanism is not that the way for developed countries to invest in mitigation actions in developing nations, to increase their domestic emission levels.

The Kyoto Protocol´s article 12 states that the objective of the clean development mechanism is to help countries that do not join the Annex 1 of that document to achieve a sustainable development.

During the session of the Conference of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol held on Tuesday, the African Group stated that the carbon market will collapse whether there is no an agreement regarding to the second period of commitments of the pact.

The 7th Conference of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol and the 17th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change began on November 28 and will conclude December 9.

(Prensa Latina)

p>By Nick Buxton

(Published YES! Magazine)

A new law expected to pass in Bolivia mandates a fundamental ecological reorientation of the nation’s economy and society

Indigenous and campesino (small-scale farmer) movements in the Andean nation of Bolivia are on the verge of pushing through one of the most radical environmental bills in global history. The “Mother Earth” law under debate in Bolivia’s legislature will almost certainly be approved, as it has already been agreed to by the majority governing party, Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS).

The law draws deeply on indigenous concepts that view nature as a sacred home, the Pachamama (Mother Earth) on which we intimately depend. As the law states, “Mother Earth is a living dynamic system made up of the undivided community of all living beings, who are all interconnected, interdependent and complementary, sharing a common destiny.”

The law would give nature legal rights, specifically the rights to life and regeneration, biodiversity, water, clean air, balance, and restoration. Bolivia’s law mandates a fundamental ecological reorientation of Bolivia’s economy and society, requiring all existing and future laws to adapt to the Mother Earth law and accept the ecological limits set by nature. It calls for public policy to be guided by Sumaj Kawsay (an indigenous concept meaning “living well,” or living in harmony with nature and people), rather than the current focus on producing more goods and stimulating consumption.

In practical terms, the law requires the government to transition from non-renewable to renewable energy; to develop new economic indicators that will assess the ecological impact of all economic activity; to carry out ecological audits of all private and state companies; to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; to develop policies of food and renewable energy sovereignty; to research and invest resources in energy efficiency, ecological practices, and organic agriculture; and to require all companies and individuals to be accountable for environmental contamination with a duty to restore damaged environments.

The law will be backed up by a new Ministry of Mother Earth, an inter-Ministry Advisory Council, and an Ombudsman. Undarico Pinto, leader of the 3.5 million-strong campesino movement CSUTCB, which helped draft the law, believes this legislation represents a turning point in Bolivian law: “Existing laws are not strong enough. This will make industry more transparent. It will allow people to regulate industry at national, regional, and local levels.”

However, there is also strong awareness among Bolivia’s social movements—in particular for the Pacto de Unidad (Unity Pact), a coalition of the country’s five largest social movements and a key force behind the law—that the existence of a new law will not be enough to prompt real change in environmental practices.

A major obstacle is the fact that Bolivia is structurally dependent on extractive industries. Since the discovery of silver by the Spanish in the 16th Century, Bolivia’s history has been tied to ruthless exploitation of its people and its environment in order to transfer wealth to the richest countries; poet and historian Eduardo Galeano’s famous book Open Veins draws largely on the brutal story of how Bolivia’s exploitation fuelled the industrial expansion of Europe. In 2010, 70 percent of Bolivia’s exports were still in the form of minerals, gas, and oil. This structural dependence will be very difficult to unravel.

Moreover, there is a great deal of opposition from powerful sectors, particularly mining and agro-industrial enterprises, to any ecological laws that would threaten profits. The main organization of soya producers, which claimed that the law “will make the productive sector inviable,” is one of many powerful groups who have already come out against the law. Within the government, there are many ministries and officials that would also like the law to remain nothing more than a visionary but ultimately meaningless statement.

Raul Prada, one of the advisors to Pacto de Unidad, explained that the Mother Earth law was developed by Bolivia’s largest social movements in response to their perceived exclusion from policy-making by the MAS government, led by indigenous President Evo Morales. They have generally supported MAS since its resounding election victory in 2005, but were frustrated by what they saw as a lack of progress. Rather than merely expressing their concern, these movements—comprised mainly of indigenous and farming communities—are pro-actively developing a series of new laws. Their first priority was the passage of the Mother Earth Law, based on a commitment made at the historic global Peoples Conference on Climate Change held in Bolivia in April 2010. To some surprise, the diverse movements soon developed a consensual agreement that was supported by MAS legislators.

Raul Prada notes that, even with significant pressure from social movements, transitioning to an economy based on the concept Vivir Bien will not be easy. “It is going to be difficult to transit from an extractive economy. We clearly can’t close mines straight away, but we can develop a model where this economy has less and less weight. It will need policies developed in participation with movements, particularly in areas such as food sovereignty. It will need redirection of investment and policies towards different ecological models of development. It will need the cooperation of the international community to develop regional economies that complement each other.”

Ultimately, though, this is a challenge far bigger than Bolivia, says Prada: “Our ecological and social crisis is not just a problem for Bolivia or Ecuador; it is a problem for all of us. We need to pull together peoples, researchers, and communities to develop real concrete alternatives so that the dominant systems of exploitation don’t just continue by default. This is not an easy task, but I believe with international solidarity, we can and must succeed.”

Nick Buxton wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. He spent four years in Bolivia learning from movements fighting for social and environmental justice.