Image Source: Ministerio del Medio Ambiente, El Salvador.
El Salvador New Environmental Policy

El Salvador’s Transition to a Greener Future

Natalia García

 “Through the Green Pact, the European Union is promoting the green transition of the economy in the Latin American and Caribbean region, where El Salvador is a very important ally” –  EU Ambassador to El Salvador, François Roudié

 

Image Source: Ministerio del Medio Ambiente, El Salvador.

 

The effects of climate change have had a negative influence on countries all around the world. As a result, El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has chosen to make significant reforms in order to combat the detrimental effects of climate change.

 

Image Source: Ministerio del Medio Ambiente, El Salvador.

 

The ministry has adopted changes such as the “Plan de Acción,” which focuses on climate change adaptation through a partnership with the European Union; a “Nueva Política,” which is an expanded environmental policy, and “Futuro Verde,” a waste management initiative. These are only a handful of the climate-related changes that the country has made. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is dedicated to making El Salvador’s environment far greener and more sustainable.

 

 

Plan De Acción

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources is partnering with the European Union to launch the Plan de Accion for the years 2022-2023. The Plan de Acción emphasizes climate change adaptation with consideration of the country’s exposure and vulnerability to hydro-meteorological occurrences.

The plan is divided into four sections: Resilient and low-emission development; greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the livestock industry; regulatory framework strengthening for the execution of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and regional climate scenarios development.

The Spain Ambassador in El Salvador, Carlos de la Morena, expressed support for this new trajectory, “The fight against climate change is an action that we must take jointly at the global level. I am sure that contributing to the fulfillment of the Salvadoran NDC, through the implementation of these four actions, will represent a great step forward for the country in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

 

 

The Plan de Acción will be executed with Spain’s cooperation, specifically the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) (AECID). The activities that will be implemented over the next few years will be promoted and managed by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, with support from the European Union’s Euroclima program (EU).

 

 

El Salvador is the sixth country in the Caribbean and Latin America to implement the Euroclima program’s Plan de Acción. The EU extends its support to El Salvador in its efforts to achieve low-carbon development and boost its policies to adapt to climate change through the new Euroclima stage.

 

The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Fernando Lopez, presents the Plan De Accion. 

 

Environmental Policy

The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources introduced the new National Environmental Policy (PNMA) on June 3, 2022, as one of numerous reforms aimed at making El Salvador more resilient and ecologically balanced. Water resource management, carbon transit economy, integrating biodiversity in economic and social growth, and inspiring environmental management toward protection are all part of this new policy.

In the face of significant climatic and environmental concerns, the major goal is to include sustainability principles into the development model.

 

https://twitter.com/MedioAmbienteSV/status/1532770576661716997?s=20&t=ez_m6kGnEkQPTuEwmTE6fw

 

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources recently presented the details of the National Environmental Policy to Hall Sverige Rent, a Swedish nonprofit organization that promotes recycling and combats litter through public awareness campaigns and environmental education.

 

 

The New Environmental Policy has a broad and multi-dimensional agenda. The issues the new policy addresses include: Population density and distribution of hydrographic regions; deforestation; erosion; overexploitation of water resources; inadequate management of solid waste; climate change; reduction, deterioration, and fragmentation of habitats; overexploitation of biological resources; pollution of aquatic ecosystems; and changes in environmental culture.

 

 

“The #NuevaPolíticaDelMedioAmbiente is the action guide to achieve sustainable development, that is why we must apply it when executing works and projects. In the public administration, we are called to fulfill this Policy in an exemplary manner,” expressed Minister Lopez.

 

 

Futuro Verde

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) launched the Futuro Verde program to bring about a cultural shift that eliminates the harmful practice of discarding trash wherever one pleases. It is vital to make changes that will aid in the better management of waste (also known as garbage) and environmental protection.

The Comprehensive Waste Management and Recycling Promotion Law has been in effect since February 2020, with the goal of maximizing trash utilization and ensuring better waste disposal. This protects health and the environment while also promoting the circular economy and reducing pollution.

 

 

Futuro Verde promotes and implements inter-institutional coordination and planning for waste management and recycling between the federal government and municipal governments. The project certifies and preserves records of Comprehensive Waste Management Manuals submitted by waste managers and encourages private and public participation.

In addition to issuing the necessary regulations that lay the groundwork for the development of the Comprehensive Waste Management Manual and its plans, the program will audit the waste management processes carried out by authorized managers in accordance with their approved comprehensive waste management manual.

Futuro Verde will carry out a National Waste Diagnosis prior to the formulation or update of the National Plan for Comprehensive Waste Management. The program will work in consultation with municipalities and any other institution involved in waste management. Finally, major and extremely serious breaches will be punished in accordance with Environmental Law. As a result, El Salvador is moving closer to a greener future considerate of the environment and the health of Salvadorans. 

 

 

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has made substantial improvements with these projects/actions in order to enhance El Salvador’s environment and transform it into a greener future. However, these are not the only projects/actions that the Ministry has undertaken; the ministry is also leading projects such as Arboles para El Salvador and the National Cetacean Conservation Program.

Arboles para El Salvador focuses on reforestation, with volunteers planting trees in various protected natural areas throughout the country as part of the “Trees for El Salvador, a Lung for the Future” campaign. Salvadorans have planted over 557,390 trees in 1,600 hectares, and counting.

 

 

The National Cetacean Conservation Program focuses on conserving the great whales, a type of management tool meant to minimize the threats faced by these marine mammals and their ecosystems. As of today, the Ministry continues to put in major efforts to turn El Salvador into a sustainable country.

 

https://twitter.com/MedioAmbienteSV/status/1532764898090000385?s=20&t=3fHpfiSZop7qadgHGVbEdQ

 

Natalia García | University of California, Los Angeles

My name is Natalia García and I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, I am the proud daughter of Salvadoran immigrants. As of currently I am an undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), majoring in Spanish, Community and Cultures and minoring in Chicana/Chicano studies. I am very passionate about all things Latin America from politics to history and so much more and now being a part of Latina Republic I hope that I can further aid in changing the negative stereotypes and shedding light to the beautiful side of what is Latin America as it is not talked about as much as it should be.

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