The Global Environment Facility and Latin American countries

Abstract

The loss of biodiversity and the effects of climate change are perceived by scientists as in a critical situation. Within this framework, this chapter presents the results of qualitative research, offering a study of the mechanisms involved in international environmental financing in Latin America provided by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). This chapter tackles a set of interrelated-questions: (i) What are the perception of Latin American scholars on the environment situation?; (ii) how are decisions made within the GEF; (iii) Who and how they occupy their strategic positions?; (iv) What interests are presented within it?; and, (v) What theoretical influences do the GEF receive?The research results indicate the GEF has the following characteristics: (i) different political levels for decision-making; (ii) the existence of political and financial mechanisms of its member influence on decisions taken in strategic positions at the GEF; (iii) an increment of the diversity of interests represented within it since the 1990s; and (v) the predominance of theoretical framework elaborated within an Eurocentric perspective that influence its way of perceiving environmental problems and solutions in Latin America.