This Wednesday, October 31, marks World Cities Day, a day aimed at promoting cooperation among cities worldwide to achieve sustainable urban development and highlight the need to be prepared for the challenges posed by overpopulation in cities.
This year, World Cities Day (#CitiesDay) will focus on building sustainable and resilient cities. Alarming figures, such as the projection that by the year 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities, or that by 2030 water consumption will increase by 40% to 50%, underscore the importance of city resilience and the need to enhance the capacities of territories to counteract current threats.
Currently, 274 cities in Latin America have already signed the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, a global alliance of local governments that have voluntarily committed to taking actions to combat climate change, with over 9,149 cities involved. One of the objectives of the Covenant aligns with the focus of this year’s World Cities Day, as it also promotes resilience in cities, recognizing that identifying climate risks and developing infrastructure to mitigate them is crucial for societies to become more resilient to environmental degradation.
An example of good practices comes from Santa Anita, Peru, which aims to promote resilience and sustainability in its territory. Santa Anita, a city prone to landslides and collapses, has already launched projects in the most affected geographic areas.
Similarly, the city of Corrientes in Argentina is working to reduce the impact not only of the floods and droughts it experiences but also of gas emissions, as well as improving waste management.
Peñalolén, in Chile, is working intensively to improve its infrastructure, aiming to cope with natural disasters that are not uncommon in the region.
The city of Cartagena, Colombia, has a vibrant urban life despite its proximity to the coast. In recent times, Cartagena has committed to strengthening its infrastructure through its 4C development plan, aiming to make its growth compatible with the adverse effects of climate in the city. Cartagena is implementing projects to mitigate potential impacts of rising water levels in its territory. Its goal is to become a more sustainable and resilient city, in line with its commitment to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
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 assist cities and local governments in their transition to a low-carbon economy and demonstrate their global impact. Led by the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg, and the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, the coalition comprises over 9,000 cities on 6 continents and 119 countries, representing more than 684 million people or 9.31% of the world’s population. Learn more at https://pactodealcaldes-la.org. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Latin America and the Caribbean is the chapter for Latin America and the Caribbean working to establish the Global Covenant in the region.
