Annual Report TWOTHOUSANDFOURTEEN
The pieces that transform our path Water-Energy Nexus in Latin America: Understanding the Upstream and Downstream System The seminar provides an overview of the energywater-ecosystems nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on innovative experiences that promote the integration of the actions in the lower and upper part of the watershed.
José Luis Aranda, of the Water Seed Fund of Chiapas, shared the importance of promoting the engagement of communities in conserving water and energy through Water Funds.
LATIN AMERICA
RUNS ON WATER
Latin American and Caribbean Focus at World Water Week
Private Sector Innovation in Water Stewardship: The Case of The Coca-Cola Company in Latin America This event provided the example of a successful partnership involving companies, international organizations and NGO participation to achieve sustainable solutions for water conservation, benefiting both the industry, the communities and their ecosystems. Energy and Water Efficiency from the National to the Community Level in Latin America and the Caribbean: Best Practices and Lessons Learned Examples at national and community level in the region were presented, which focused on demonstrating methodologies, tools and technical cooperation mechanisms among the sectors of energy and water and their impact on ecosystems.
Science and Technology Perspectives for the Energy-Water Nexus in Latin America Experts from both fields discussed the challenges and opportunities of each field from a technological and political perspective in the use and treatment of water.
Speaker voices
The Latin America and the Caribbean Day was attended by over 28 experts from institutions such as those mentioned as well as public institutions such as ITAIPU Binacional and Public Enterprises of Medellín (EPM for its acronym in Spanish), as well as private like the company Heineken, also academic like the London College and from the civil society such as the World Resources Institute (WRI), the Seed Fund of Chiapas and Clean Water of Peru. They all gathered under the same vision shared experiences to help better understand and exploit the relationship between energy and water sectors.
Hugo Contreras Director of Safe Water for Latin America at The Nature Conservancy
We’ve noticed that water and energy, and particularly water, are not properly valued if we take into consideration its price or the cost to get access to it. Water has a different weight value.
Understanding the relationship between water and energy has never been as important as it is today. The energy future of the region lies on our capacity to understand both sectors as an interconnected system. Water and electricity are two resources that tend to go unnoticed in everyday life. Despite the importance of both of them to perform all of our activities, we often ignore the relationship between them, without realizing that closing a tap saves energy, and that by turning off a light we are also helping to conserve our water sources. Understanding this relationship involves sharing knowledge and experiences with others to learn about and implement actions that contribute to the development of the region. Currently 46% of the electricity consumed in Latin America and the Caribbean comes from hydropower, which contrasts with 16% of world average. This indicates the importance of water in the energy supply in the region. It is also expected that Latin American countries as a whole will increase by up to 550% their electricity demand by 2050, which translates into an increase of up
The Latin America and the Caribbean stand served as a meeting place for various organizations attending the Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.
to 330% in water consumption by the energy sector in the region.
Sharing experiences
With the goal of sharing experiences and knowledge that promote the integration of both sectors, FEMSA Foundation in coordination with other organizations such as the Inter-American
Development Bank, The Nature Conservancy, Water Center for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, CAF- Development Bank of Latin America, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and The Coca-Cola Company, organized the series of lectures for the Latin American and Caribbean Focus. The event was held on September 2014, within the framework of the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, this time focused on the relationship between water and energy. During the sessions, four keynote topics were discussed:
As part of the Latin America and the Caribbean Day, discussion forums were done, where several organizations shared their views on the relationship of Water and Energy in the region.
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