OECD Environmental Performance Reviews.

237 Pages·2014·4.16 MB·English

by  OECD

OECD Environmental Performance Reviews 2
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OECD Environmental Performance Reviews
The OECD Environmental Performance Review Programme provides independent assessments of countries’
progress in achieving their domestic and international environmental policy commitments, together with
policy relevant recommendations. They are conducted to promote peer learning, to enhance governments’ COlOmbia
accountability to each other and to the public, and to improve countries’ environmental performance,
individually and collectively. The reviews are supported by a broad range of economic and environmental
data. Each cycle of the Environmental Performance Reviews covers all OECD member countries and selected
partner countries. The most recent reviews include: South Africa (2013), Austria (2013), Italy (2013) and 2014
Mexico (2013).
This report is the first OECD review of Colombia’s environmental performance. It evaluates progress towards
sustainable development and green growth, with a focus on waste and chemicals management and policies
that promote more effective and efficient protection and sustainable use of biodiversity.
Contents
Part i. Progress towards sustainable development
Chapter 1. Key environmental trends
Chapter 2. Policy-making environment
Chapter 3. Towards green growth
Chapter 4. International co-operation
Part ii. Progress towards selected environmental objectives
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Chapter 5. Waste E
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Chapter 6. Chemicals management
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Chapter 7. Biodiversity n
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Consult this publication on line at http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264208292-en. b
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2014
isbn 978-92-64-20828-5
9HSTCQE*caicif+
97 2014 01 1 P

OECD Environmental
Performance Reviews:
Colombia
2014
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The
opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official
views of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries; or those of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or
sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries
and to the name of any territory, city or area.
Please cite this publication as:
OECD/ECLAC (2014), OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Colombia 2014, OECD Publishing.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264208292-en
ISBN 978-92-64-20828-5 (print)
ISBN 978-92-64-20829-2 (PDF)
OECD Environmental Performance Reviews:
ISSN 1990-0104 (print)
ISSN 1990-0090 (online)
United Nations reference number: LC/L.3768
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of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli
settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
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PREFACE
Preface
C
olombia has enjoyed strong economic growth for much of the last decade, underpinned
by a commodity price boom, significant economic policy reform and improved security.
However, important challenges remain, including the need to steer economic development
in a direction that is more environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. This is the
main message of this first OECD Environmental Performance Review of Colombia.
The Review provides policy makers with a wide-ranging assessment of environmental
conditions and policies that can help inform the preparation of the 2014-18 National
Development Plan. Following the decision of the OECD Council in May 2013 to invite
Colombia to begin accession discussions with the Organisation, the Report also provides a
solid basis for discussing the environmental component of the accession process. This is
important, as the OECD environmental acquis includes 50% of all legally binding OECD
Council Decisions, and about 30% of OECD Council Recommendations.
Colombia is considered to be the second most biodiverse country in the world, and has a
long tradition of developing policies and laws to protect its natural heritage. However, this
heritage and the wellbeing of its people are under growing threats from extractive industries,
livestock grazing, urbanisation and motorisation. Colombia's vulnerability to environmental
changes, and the need to strengthen its environmental policies and institutions, was
underlined by floods and landslides related to the La Niña event in 2010-11. The associated
economic losses were equivalent to 2% of GDP, and affected over 3 million people, 7% of the
population.
This Review intends to help Colombia address some of its main environmental
challenges. It presents 45 recommendations including:
● Making green growth a central element of the 2014-18 National Development Plan, and
making sectoral ministries accountable for the environmental impacts of their policies.
● Promoting greater use of environmentally related taxes, and phasing out environmentally
harmful subsidies and tax exemptions, while mitigating any adverse impacts on poor
and vulnerable groups.
● Strengthening the system of environmental management involving different levels of
government, particularly by better defining their roles and responsibilities.
● Better managing the environmental impacts of mining, particularly from the use of
mercury, and the impacts of mining operations on biodiversity.
● Strengthening the environmental information system, and building support for
environmental measures by better communicating environmental information to policy
makers and the public.
OECD ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: COLOMBIA 2014 © OECD 2014 3
PREFACE
This Review has been prepared by OECD in cooperation with the Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). It is the result of a constructive
and mutually beneficial policy dialogue between Colombia and the countries participating
in the OECD Working Party on Environmental Performance. By strengthening mutual
understanding, it helps to foster closer co-operation between Colombia and OECD
Members as the country prepares for its eventual membership of the Organisation.
Alicia Bárcena Angel Gurría
Executive Secretary Secretary-General
Economic Commission for Organisation for Economic
Latin America and the Caribbean Co-operation and Development
(ECLAC) (OECD)
4 OECD ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: COLOMBIA 2014 © OECD 2014
FOREWORD
Foreword
T
he principal aim of the OECD Environmental Performance Review programme is to help member
and selected partner countries to improve their individual and collective performance in
environmental management by:
● helping individual governments to assess progress in achieving their environmental goals;
● promoting continuous policy dialogue and peer learning;
● stimulating greater accountability from governments towards each other and the public opinion.
This report is the first OECD review of Colombia’s environmental performance. It has been
prepared in co-operation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC). Progress in achieving domestic objectives and international commitments
provides the basis for assessing the country’s environmental performance. Such objectives and
commitments may be broad aims, qualitative goals or quantitative targets. A distinction is made
between intentions, actions and results. Assessment of environmental performance is also placed
within the context of Colombia’s historical environmental record, present state of the environment,
physical endowment in natural resources, economic conditions and demographic trends.
The OECD and ECLAC are indebted to the government of Colombia for its co-operation in
providing information, for the organisation of the review mission to Bogotá (10-15 December 2012)
and for its facilitation of contacts both inside and outside government institutions.
Thanks are also due to all those who helped in the course of this review, to the representatives
of member countries participating in the OECD Working Party on Environmental Performance and
especially to the examining countries: Chile, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The team that prepared this review comprised experts from reviewing countries:
MrJoostMeijer (Chile), MrIan Dickie (United Kingdom) and MrBryan Lobar (United States);
members of the OECD Secretariat: MsAngela Bularga, MrBrendan Gillespie, MsEija Kiiskinen,
MsNatalia Mayorga, MsSoizick de Tilly and MsFrédérique Zegel; members of the ECLAC
Secretariat: MrJosé Javier Gómez and MrGuillermo Acuňa; and MrBill Long (consultant),
MsEvaHübner (consultant), MrRoberto Martin-Hurtado (consultant) and MrRob Visser
(consultant). MsCarla Bertuzzi, MrShayne MacLachlan (OECD Secretariat) and MsRebeccaBrite
(consultant) provided statistical and editorial support during the preparation of the report.
Preparation of this report also benefitted from comments provided by several members of the OECD
Secretariat.
The OECD Working Party on Environmental Performance discussed the draft Environmental
Performance Review of Colombia at its meeting on 28October 2013 in Paris and approved the
assessment and recommendations.
OECD ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: COLOMBIA 2014 © OECD 2014 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of contents
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Part I
Progress towards sustainable development
Chapter 1. Key environmental trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2. Transition to a low-carbon, energy- and resource-efficient economy . . . . . . . . . 24
3. Managing the natural asset base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4. Improving the environmental quality of life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 2. Policy-making environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Assessment and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
1. Governance structure for environmental management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2. Policy framework for sustainable development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3. Policies and regulations for managing environmental media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4. Design and effectiveness of selected environmental policy instruments . . . . . . 58
5. Environmental authorisations and compliance assurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
6. Monitoring and evaluation of environmental policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
7. Promoting environmental democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 3. Towards green growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Assessment and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
2. Policy framework for green growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
3. Greening the tax system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
4. Environment-related subsidies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5. Extending the use of other market instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
6. Reconciling environmental and poverty alleviation objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
7. Investing in environment to promote economic growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
8. Eco-innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
OECD ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: COLOMBIA 2014 © OECD 2014 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 4. International co-operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Assessment and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
1. Objectives and policy framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
2. Bilateral and regional co-operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
3. Marine issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
4. Global environmental co-operation: sustainable development
and the Rio conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
5. Trade, investment and environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
6. Official development assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Part II
Progress towards selected environmental objectives
Chapter 5. Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Assessment and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
1. Institutional framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
2. Municipal solid waste management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
3. Hazardous waste management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
4. Other policy developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
5. Economic aspects of waste policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Chapter 6. Chemicals management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Assessment and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
1. Pressures on health and the environment from chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
2. Policy and institutional framework for managing chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
3. Main instruments and mechanisms of chemical safety policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
4. Managing the risks of specific chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
5. International co-operation in chemicals management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Chapter 7. Biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Assessment and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
1. Current status and trends in Colombia’s biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
2. The policy and institutional frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
3. Policy instruments for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use . . . . . . . . 198
4. Integrating biodiversity into economic and sectoral policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Annex I. Selected data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
I.A. Selected economic data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
I.B. Selected social data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
I.C. Selected environmental data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Annex II. Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
8 OECD ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: COLOMBIA 2014 © OECD 2014