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China, the EU and Latin America : current issues and future cooperation
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EnergySecurityandClimateChangeinRelationsbetweentheEU Chinaand 79 LatinAmerica:MajorChallengesandAreasforInternationalCooperation 3.2 SecondConsideration:LatinAmericaIsMorethanJustBrazil Besidesthediversitybetweensmalland mediumsized LACcountries as wellasbetweenthedifferentLACsubregions adistinction mustbemade betweenBrazilandtherestoftheregion. Inmostextraregionaldialogues US G20 G5andsoon ), Brazilis increasingly acting as Latin Americas representative. With regard to environmentaland energyissues however itisimportantto note Brazils distinctiveness. Brazilispromotingbiofuelsproduction in whichitisthe worldleader. Afterpursuingthispolicyfor30years itistheprimarybioethanolexporterin theworld market OLADE2008:84 .Ithasthenecessarytechnological capacities consolidatedinstitutionsandgovernmentpolicies aswellasthemost extensiveterritory.However whileBrazilisenhancingitsparticipationinthe multilateralsystem LACspresenceisstillveryweak. 3.3 ThirdConsideration:LACIsNotOneoftheMainCulpritswithregardto GlobalWarming LAChasbeenstronglyaffectedbyglobalwarming whichoriginatedin greenhousegases andis paying the priceforthe energy abuse ofthe industrialisedeconomies.LACisresponsibleforonlyaround10percentof greenhousegasesworldwide CEPAL2009:109 .Atthesametime itis expectedtoproduceaccordingtocleanstandardsandtohaveanequalsharein thecostsofsolvingtheproblem.Inaddition helpfromdevelopedcountriesis focusedmainlyonthepromotionofacarbonmarket whichwouldenablethe developingcountriestobuy therighttopollute Animportantsourceofgreenhousegasesisthedeforestationoftropical rainforests asforestscapturecarbonintheirplants treesandsoils.Tropical forestsabsorb18percentofCO asakindof freegift fromnature.The situationisparticularlyseriousinLatinAmerica wheretherateofdeforestation isdoubletheglobalaverage:between1990and2005 forexample Central Americalost23.3percentofitsforests CEPAL2009:47 Fromanotherperspective globalwarmingisnot fair asitaffectssome regionsoftheplanetadverselyandfavoursothers.Regardingthedistributionof impactsandvulnerabilities the UNsIntergovernmentalPanelon Climate Change IPCC clearlystatedthat therearesharpdifferencesacrossregionsand thoseintheweakesteconomicpositionareoftenthemostvulnerabletoclimate changeandarefrequentlythe mostsusceptibletoclimaterelateddamages UNIPCC2007:65 .Thus thosewithawarmclimatecouldhardlybearrises