ABSTRACT
This chapter compares the steps taken to foment renewable energy and improve energy efficiency within the nationally determined contribution frameworks of Latin America’s five largest economies, such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Columbia, which are also the region’s five largest emitters (excluding Venezuela, which has extremely high fuel subsidies that encourage demand). It focuses on the most recent developments in energy policy, in particular those which have taken place since the Paris Agreement in 2015, the impact on energy consumption and emissions is still unclear in some cases. The chapter provides an overview of how policies in renewable generation and energy efficiency have responded to the commitments made under the Paris Agreement by Latin America’s five largest economies, and what more needs to be done. Chile and Colombia stand out as countries appearing to make an effort to reduce their energy intensity, while Brazil is in great need of overarching energy efficiency legislation.
