Environment Minister Fabio Arjona, a marine biologist, was formerly Colombia director for Conservation International. (Photo courtesy of Fabio Arjona)
Three months since Colombia’s new, right-wing government took office, Environment Minister Fabio Arjona has been fashioning a policy agenda aimed at balancing environmental protection with economic development, particularly by making conservation policies friendlier to investors. Arjona, a 70-year-old marine biologist, has said the country must leave behind what he calls “environmental hysteria.” He has raised concerns over environmental licensing, claiming it has been used to block development. He has also called for oil and gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to start as soon as possible, supporting a reversal of a ban former President Gustavo Petro imposed on the practice, citing environmental and social concerns. “The Environment Ministry exists to facilitate and provide guidance for projects, not block them,” Arjona told the Spanish newspaper El País before taking office Aug. 7. Experienced in nonprofit work, Arjona helmed the Colombian branch of U.S.-based Conservation International, heading... [Log in to read more]
