Institute of the Americas 2021 Annual Report

Environment & Climate Change Program The Institute of the Americas’ Environment & Climate Change Program (EC2) strives to catalyze climate leadership amongst the private sector and local/regional governments in the Americas to promote sustainable growth, tackle climate change and minimize environmental impacts in the region with the goal of protecting its rich marine and land-based natural capital. In 2021, through its EC2 program the Institute led an effort to a) publish an analysis of the Nationally Determined Contributions pledged by countries across the Americas in support of the Paris Agreement on climate change; b) integrate the UC-MEXUS’ Gulf of California Marine program into its organization; c) partner with UC San Diego’s Center for US-Mexico Studies on the US-Mexico Climate Change Working Group, and d) analyzed opportunities for cross-border cooperation in the Californias, focused on blue carbon.

Las Californias Blue Carbon Initiative

In an effort to promote expanded binational climate action and protection of shared biodiversity across the Californias, the initiative examines potential blue carbon-fo cused, nature-based solutions to project and conserve priority nesting grounds for migratory bird species of importance to California located in coastal wetlands along the Baja California peninsula. Key Institute partners in the initiative include: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego’s Center for U.S-Mexican Studies and Pronatura Noroeste.

Gulf of California Marine Program

US-Mexico Climate Change Working Group

It brings together experts from both sides of the border to discuss to discuss five of the most pressing issues underlying the climate crisis and how the two nations might work together to respond to it: 1. Short-Lived Climate Pollutants 2. Energy Efficiency 3. Environmental Justice, Adaptation and Nature-Based Solutions 4. Climate Finance 5. Renewable Power Development

Sur, and surveyed mangroves and sea grass prairies.This research helps us understand the impact of marine protect ed areas, identify the economic contribu tions of activities like tourism and fishing, and advance conservation and policy regarding blue carbon ecosystems. Since its establishment, the GCMP has devel oped a successful track record of promot ing conservation and sustainable man agement through multidisciplinary approach es, focusing on generating, analyzing and sharing scientific informa tion to key stakeholders and policymak ers involved in shaping coastal and marine policy in Mexico.

The Institute of the Americas’ Gulf of Cali fornia Marine Program (GCMP) works on expanding its research and programming on emerging coastal and marine policy issues of importance to Mexico. Estab lished in 2008 as a research program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the GCMP was a part of the University of Cali fornia Institute of Mexico and the United States (UCMEXUS) based at UC Riverside since 2017. During 2021, the GCMP resumed ecologi cal monitoring, worked with tourism opera tors in Magdalena Bay monitoring their activities, maintained the artisanal fisher ies monitoring program in Baja California

Established in Spring 2021 by the UC San Diego Center for US-Mexico Studies togeth er with the Institute of the Americas, the Brookings Institution and the Tecnológico de Monterrey, the working group was established with the goal of identifying specific areas of shared mutual interest and cooperation between the US and Mexico in the area of climate change.

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