The Authority of the Panama Canal, with CAF’s Support, Contributes to Combat Climate Change

(Panama, June 3, 2014). As part of its environmental commitment, the Authority of the Panama Canal, with the financial support of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, is developing initiatives and studies since 2013 to promote sustainability in the operations of the Inter-Oceanic Canal. 

The Authority of the Panama Canal (ACP, for its acronym in Spanish), as a company which is responsible and committed with the environment, continuously seeks to identify and develop new projects for environmental improvement. One of these initiatives, framed in the strategy called: La Ruta Verde del Canal (the Canal's Green Route), is focused on promoting a low-carbon policy in order to support the national and international efforts made to combat climate change. 

As a first measure, ACP initiated the compilation of a base line gathering the starting data in accordance with international standards. This base line will be an instrument to determine the current scenario and will be of use to identify the actions that contribute to improve the company's environmental performance, while at the same time encouraging its clients and users to be a part of the continuous contribution and improvement.   

In this respect, between October 1^st 2012 and September 30^th 2012, the Carbon Footprint estimate was developed for the operation of the Panama Canal for the 2013 fiscal year. This project included the support of funds contributed by CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, in the framework of a Non-Reimbursable Technical Cooperation Agreement, subscribed between CAF and the ACP, on September 26^th, 2013. 

The implementation of this consultancy has been very beneficial for the ACP, highlighting: 

1. The development of a methodology adjusted to the Institution's characteristics which included the preparation of a computer tool for the annual estimate of the Carbon Footprint.
2. Training of ACP collaborators who are responsible for the annual calculations of the annual Footprint, users of the tools, and key personnel which will provide the data.
3. Contribution of inputs for the preparation of a Five Year Plan which will frame the actions of the Green Route Strategy (2015 - 2020), to be completed in December of 2014. 

To continue with the process, the ACP started the compilation of data for the calculations of the Carbon Footprint for the 2014 fiscal year, with the purpose of comparing, analyzing, and discussing the results of the measurement of 2013 and 2014, as essential inputs for the establishment of the energy efficiency actions of the Green Route Strategy for the 2015-2020 period, as well as defining the strategy for the communication of the results and actions to be executed by the ACP. 

For CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, this initiative is part of its commitment with the environment as one of the key factors in its mission to promote sustainable development and regional integration. In this respect, CAF supports the Latin American countries to increase investment in the environment, migration to low-carbon economies, and to optimize the response capacity facing the international strategy in the construction of sustainable development.