On October 20th, Nicaragua signed to join the Paris climate treaty, taking effect on November 22nd. Previously, Nicaraguan government officials didn’t believe the climate talks would have a true impact on mitigating the impact of humans on climate change. After 2 years of consideration, the Nicaraguan government reconsidered. As mentioned by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, Nicaragua is the 4th most susceptible country to climate change worldwide, other Latin American countries joining is top 4 list. The article goes on to discuss plans of other Latin American countries as outlined in the Paris climate agreements, however I am choosing to focus specifically on Nicaragua as their contributions to the climate treaty are just now being brought forward. Previous to the Nicaraguan government’s involvement in the climate agreements, various indigenous communities within Nicaragua (amongst other countries) joined the talks at the summit in 2015.

The portrayal of Latin American people in this article depicts them as cautions and self-aware people. Although the government of Nicaragua didn’t sign to join the treaty until a couple weeks ago, it appears that the Nicaraguan people have been on board since the climate summit in Paris. Contrary to the average depiction of Latin American governments by US media, Nicaragua is shown to be quite aware of the severity of climate change in this article, the US used as a contrasting example. In fact a Nicaraguan government official is commented in reference to the Paris Climate Treaty, stating that, “even though it is not an ideal treaty, it is the only instrument that currently allows for unity of intentions and effort.” Furthermore, the Nicaraguan government hopes that in collaborating with over 160 countries around the world that their contribution is essential. Despite the small steps being taken to mitigate climate change, worldwide collaboration is essential if positive impact is to be made on our planet’s environment.

I believe the strong-willed identity of the Latin American people if Nicaragua is exhibited quite clearly in this article. They are angry about the impact climate change is having on their environment, being one of immense diversity. In addition, the impact of other countries’s pollutants are the primary contributors to the environmental deterioration in Nicaragua. As a result, the Nicaraguan people are outraged, naturally, as countries like the US display preposterous levels of ignorance as they withdraw from Paris Climate Agreements. It is clear that the motives of the US are purely centered around money. The lunacy of the situation is amplified when one looks at the extremes of climate change; money could easily be of no use within 30-40 years as the global scale of climate change intervenes with everyday life of all humans.