Infrastructure:

Building Latin American Sustainable Development

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In this conference, Canning House, in partnership with ERG International and Pi Makina, will discuss why infrastructure matters for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)’s sustainable development.

Infrastructure plays a crucial role in the global economy. It provides the services that allow economies to thrive and enhance inhabitants’ quality of life.

The infrastructure gap in Latin America - totalling 2.5% of regional GDP - is a critical hurdle for development. Opportunities for private and public-sector investment are broad and diverse. Roads and railways to improve connectivity. Ports and canals to develop the region’s blue economy and international trade.

Despite promising growth projections, concerns have arisen regarding the protection of the region’s ecosystems and indigenous populations. A sustainable approach allows infrastructure to become a facilitator - rather than an obstacle- to environmental conservation and well-being.

How? Through expanding and decarbonising public transport. Through extracting the underwater minerals needed to electrify the global economy. Through bringing clean drinking water to communities. Such are the possibilities that this two-panel event seeks to explore.

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Agenda

Location and transport

The Dilly Hotel, 21 Piccadilly, London W1J 0BH

Underground: The Dilly Hotel is just 3 minutes' walk from Piccadilly Circus on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo Lines, or under 10 minutes' walk from Green Park or Leicester Square on Victoria, Jubilee and Northern Lines.

Bus: The 6, 9, 14, 19, and 38 buses stop immediately outside or opposite the Dilly Hotel on Piccadilly.

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When one thinks about Latin America, rainforests, mountains and grasslands occupy the mind. However, the region also houses 30% of the world’s freshwater resources and the sea accounts for at least 60% of the sovereign territory of 22 LAC countries. Infrastructure is the key to harnessing these resources. Dams and water treatment and desalination plants can bring clean drinking water to communities and irrigation to farmland.

Infrastructure also offers innovative solutions to the blue economy, which seeks to use marine and freshwater environments in a sustainable way to generate economic growth. Latin America’s blue economy is vast and diverse, contributing US$21 billion to regional GDP. It comprises traditional industries- such as fishing, tourism and maritime transport- and emerging sectors including offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, seabed extractive activities and marine biotechnology and bioprospecting.

LAC’s marine infrastructure is the gateway connecting the East to the West. Almost 14,000 ships travel through the Panama Canal per year, a value equal to 6% of global trade. Meanwhile, along the Pacific Coast, the expansion of Chile’s Port of Valparaiso is currently underway. A Chinese state-owned company has also invested US$3 billion in building a commercial port in Chacay, Peru. Such projects will bolster LAC’s strategic position on the global trade market and boost its export capacity to China.

To improve Latin America’s competitivity, greater mainland connectivity is also needed. Poor transportation infrastructure hampers trade by increasing costs and hindering supply reliability. Nearly 75% of the region’s domestic freight is transported by truck in a region where 60% of roads remain unpaved. However, several milestone megaprojects are underway. Last year, Brazil began repaving the flood-prone 540-mile-long highway, BR-319, which traverses the Amazon. Mexico’s ongoing 948-mile-long Tren Maya railway also promises to spur economic growth by connecting major cities and tourism spots.

Questions?

Please contact us with any questions about this event.