The cities of Peñalolén and Independencia (Chile) and Palmas (Brazil), signatories of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), participated on Thursday (17) in the panel discussion ‘Nature-based solutions and circular development strategies to address the climate emergency in Latin America.’
The event, organized by ICLEI South America, took place at COP 27 and addressed the impacts of natural disasters and epidemics on cities, as well as the consequences of climate change. Possibilities to avoid intensive resource use, prioritizing nature-based solutions, were presented.
Carolina Leitao, the mayor of Peñalolén (Chile), who is also a member of the Covenant’s Mayors Forum, addressed topics such as solid waste, energy efficiency, and environmental education. The mayor highlighted the management of the water crisis and the city’s local plan to address it. Through financial support, institutional actions, and an action plan with the community, goals were established for this year.
Carolina emphasized the importance of economic initiatives for families who need to pay the water bill, which is privatized, and solutions for resource economy, such as reusing rainwater. According to the mayor, everyone has responsibilities to avoid water consumption, and it is necessary to raise awareness among the population about water scarcity and show how people use the resource in simple actions like taking a shower or engaging in sports.
Gonzalo Durán, mayor of the city of Independencia (Chile), highlighted that the municipality has the lowest amount of green area per inhabitant in the country, and more than 40% of the population is migrants. He called for improvements in access to financing for climate actions and highlighted the active participation of the community through environmental education. Durán states that the city’s actions are part of a larger plan, citing the example of replacing the entire fleet of municipal vehicles with electric models to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Another project highlighted by the Chilean mayor was the replacement of native species through accelerated ecosystem growth. By improving conditions for species growth, optimized with minimal water use, the species grow faster than they would normally.
The mayor of Palmas (Brazil), Cinthia Ribeiro, highlighted the importance of the participation of the entire society in sustainability projects. She emphasized that, starting December 1, all schools and daycares in the city will be self-sufficient in energy using photovoltaic energy. The change in the energy matrix also includes public buildings, such as the city hall, supplied by solar energy.
Palmas receives international mentoring in the Recicla Palmas project — there are eco-points scattered throughout the city within a maximum distance of one kilometer. Regarding the new solid waste policy, the mayor highlights that the city’s landfill is a model for the country, as there is a safe disposal of waste and the possibility of transforming and selling waste into energy through a biogas plant at the landfill.
Cinthia Ribeiro also addressed land regularization and the importance of projects designed in a sustainable way. In illustrating a pilot project executed in the city, she explained that family farming can and should work very well sustainably, with a gender-cut favoring women and low-income people.
The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) took place from November 6 to 18, 2022, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Declaration of the Covenant Mayors Forum in Latin America was presented
During the event, the Declaration of the Mayors Forum, on behalf of the Covenant community in Latin America, was also presented. The document gathers key messages from Latin American cities addressed to decision-makers present at COP27.
The mayor of Independencia, Chile, Gonzalo Durán, represented the Covenant Mayors Forum on the occasion and presented the main points of the Declaration to the community present at COP27. Forum members met in Argentina in October and drafted this statement to show the vision of local governments on climate issues in the region. The document calls for strengthening the capacity to adapt to climate change, as municipalities in the region suffer from the increasingly devastating effects of extreme weather events; and for improvement in access to climate finance, as without this financial support, municipalities will face difficulties in fully achieving their mitigation and adaptation potential.
For Duran, ‘multilevel action is essential to combat the climate emergency we face, for which the inclusion of local governments is fundamental because this is where national climate action plans are developed and implemented. I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this statement.’
Read the full statement: https://pactodealcaldes-la.org/pt-br/cop27-declaracao-do-forum-de-prefeitos-da-america-latina-destaca-as-prioridades-para-a-regiao/
