Cover Photo: Blue Planet
· Thanks to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), seven more Argentine municipalities now have their Local Climate Action Plans.
· Argentina leads Latin America in environmental advocacy
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy[1] (GCoM) emerges as a global alliance of cities and local governments committed to combating the global issue of climate change, reducing its impacts, and ensuring access to sustainable and affordable energy for all.
Thanks to this initiative, promoted in Latin America by the International Urban Cooperation Program (IUC-LAC) of the European Union, seven Argentine municipalities—Bell Ville, Caseros, Godoy Cruz, Guaymallén, Monte Buey, Villa General Belgrano, and Venado Tuerto—coordinated by the Argentine Network of Municipalities against Climate Change (RAMCC), have recently joined this network, whose measures are increasingly necessary.
We must not forget that over 50% of the world’s population lives in urban centers, which account for more than 70% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and over 66% of the world’s energy consumption.
In the short term, the seven Argentine municipalities will implement a range of energy efficiency plans for public lighting, municipal buildings, etc., as well as actions related to the incorporation of renewable energy in localities, responsible waste management, or sustainable urban mobility. The biggest challenge for them now is to secure funding for the projected activities, and the next steps will be focused on resource mobilization.
With all these measures, the aim is to reduce pollution in municipalities by nearly 20% on average by 2030. With the proposed actions, the seven municipalities have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to the Business as Usual (BAU) reference scenario, in the following tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e):
- Bell Ville: 24,538 tCO2e (18% less than the BAU scenario).
- Caseros: 2,421 tCO2e (18% less than the BAU scenario).
- Godoy Cruz: 213,789 tCO2e (35% less than the BAU scenario).
- Guaymallén: 217,270 tCO2e (18% less than the BAU scenario).
- Monte Buey: 11,081 tCO2e (18% less than the BAU scenario).
- Villa General Belgrano: 14,282 tCO2e (18% less than the BAU scenario).
- Venado Tuerto: 116,975 tCO2e (20% less than the BAU scenario).
Argentina’s commitment to nature is not new; as early as 2001, without reaching the minimum level of emissions and therefore without obligation, the country signed the Kyoto Protocol[2] against greenhouse gas emissions and shortly thereafter the Paris Agreement.
The signatories of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy have high expectations for these seven municipalities that have been pioneers in adopting measures in this area. Their performance and results in day-to-day activities will be key to setting a precedent for how things are done and encouraging more municipalities, inside and outside of Argentina, to join initiatives.
In conclusion, these plans have once again positioned Argentina as the Latin American country with the greatest progress in environmental matters, highlighting our duty to care for the Earth and reminding us that this is not an inheritance from our parents but a loan from our children.
These measures follow the path marked by theories from the 1980s. Their origin is rooted in the Japanese concept of “Dochakuka,” which literally translates to “living in one’s own land” and arises from the union of two words, “local” and “globalization.” As you may have guessed, we are talking about glocalization.
In the face of the numerous sociopolitical, economic, and environmental changes that have come (to stay) with globalization, numerous currents have also emerged that seek to reverse or at least slow them down, avoiding this radical transformation of the world.
Anti-globalization activists’ protests coincide in that these changes are imposed under a deductive logic, i.e., from general to particular, from top to bottom, always suppressing other currents of thought or previous cultures that are buried by an external idea.
This is how glocalization emerges, in an attempt to address all these transformations in a different and inclusive way. Deductively, i.e., from particular to general, and under an approach where from bottom to top it faces the challenges we have ahead, thinking globally but acting locally.
About the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy formally brings together the Compact of Mayors and the Covenant of Mayors for the EU, the two main city initiatives to help cities and local governments transition to a low-carbon economy and demonstrate their global impact. Led by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg, and the Vice President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, the coalition comprises over 9,149 cities on 6 continents and 120 countries, representing more than 700 million people or 10% of the world’s population. Learn more at https://pactodealcaldes-la.org. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy for Latin America and the Caribbean is the chapter for Latin America and the Caribbean that works to establish the Global Covenant in the region.
[1] https://pactodealcaldes-la.org/
[2] http://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/65000-69999/67901/norma.h
