Camila Bustos: after Colombia’s presidential election, what next on climate and human rights?
Camila Bustos published a letter to the editor in Just Security reflecting on the impact of Colombia's recent presidential election on climate change and human rights. The following are excerpts from the piece; see the full story here.
"Colombia elected Abelardo de la Espriella president, consolidating a right-wing wave across Latin America, now spanning Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, and, more recently, Peru. The election was extremely close: de La Espriella received 49.66 percent of the votes (12,959,542) against leftist candidate Iván Cepeda Castro’s 48.70 percent (12,708,712), less than one percent difference. But that small margin may have profound implications for climate and human rights."
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"With Colombia’s leadership change, the coalition behind rethinking investment protection and a fossil fuel phase-out will lose an important ally. Colombia’s economy’s reliance on oil and coal exports will likely continue and deepen under the new administration."
"De la Espriella adopted a more moderate tone after winning, calling for unity and assuring his government would respect dissent and uphold Constitutional guarantees. He named a renowned marine biologist as Minister of the Environment, although he also picked an alleged climate denier as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Some commentators believe his extreme rhetoric was mostly a strategic choice to appeal to his voters. But even if he takes a more moderate route, the landscape for climate and human rights matters seems fraught."
