Guatemala’s 2013 Climate Change Framework Law created the government structure to address its climate change priorities: reducing vulnerability to environmental disasters, building adaptation capacity, and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are laid out in the 2009 National Climate Change Policy.
Through the EC-LEDS program, Guatemala and the U.S. government are partnering to build institutional capacity to respond to climate change. They are working together to promote active participation from civil society and the private sector in order to reduce the effects of climate change and mitigate GHG emissions.
Environmental/Economic Data
Top Three GHG Emitting Sectors (2012)
- Land use
- Energy
- Agriculture
Source: World Resources Institute
GDP Average Annual Growth Rate (%)
GHG Emission Growth (%)
Forested Area (% of total land area)
2015: 33.0%
Source: World Bank
Renewable Energy Contribution to Electricity Generation (%)
EC-LEDS Activities
Accomplishments and Progress
Improving Economic Efficiencies. The EC-LEDS program is working with key private sector counterparts, including industry associations, farmer associations, and cooperatives, to implement practices and technologies that reduce GHG emissions, improve competitiveness, and increase manufacturing efficiencies in the Guatemalan economy. A first round of seminars highlighted the utility of corporate GHG inventories and the competitive advantages they can provide to businesses. – Ongoing
Engaging Communities. The EC-LEDS program is working with local communities to advance market-driven conservation strategies that support the development and implementation of national and subnational REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) strategies, while enhancing adaptation capacity to the impacts of climate change. – Ongoing
Supporting Climate Change Information Systems. In coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, U.S. climate change experts developed data collection procedures and protocols for each of the Guatemala’s five major greenhouse gas (GHG) emission categories: agriculture, energy, industry, waste, and land use, land use change. A new Ministry decree created the National Climate Change Information System, providing official legal backing for the use of these protocols as tools for national GHG accounting and further strengthening the institutional arrangements for emissions reporting designed with project support. – 2016
Zero-Carbon Footprint Initiative Launched. Seven technical experts, sponsored and trained by the EC-LEDS program, helped Guatemala launch the Guatemala Zero-Carbon Footprint Initiative to organize climate change activities across key Guatemalan ministries—Environment and Natural Resources, Planning, and Forestry and Protected Areas—under one umbrella. The experts will continue to support coordination and strengthen the ministries’ capacity to address climate change. – 2014
Land-Use and Forest Cover Maps Updated. EC-LEDS program forestry experts collaborated with a team of government ministries and university technical experts to update land-use and forest cover maps and to highlight land-use change from over the last decade. The maps will be used to help implement sustainable forest management practices. – 2014
Milestones
Additional Resources
Publications
National Climate Change Policy (Spanish)
Organizations and Programs
- U.S. Agency for International Development – Guatemala
- U.S. Department of State – Guatemala
- Low Emission Development Strategies Regional Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean
Contacts
If you have any questions about Guatemala's activities through the EC-LEDS program, please contact us.