Belo Horizonte is a Brazilian municipality and the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, boasting a blend of historical constructions seamlessly intertwined with modernity. Apart from the beauty in its landscapes, the city serves as an exemplary model for best practices in climate mitigation and adaptation actions.
The Belo Horizonte City Hall has been notably engaged in consistent efforts to address climate change since the early 2000s, with a track record of 20 years of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and a emissions reduction plan encompassing 99 actions across the mobility, sanitation, and energy sectors.
In 2015, the city joined the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), aiming to strengthen its transition to a low-carbon economy and overcome major challenges faced by the municipality, such as the lack of financial and human resources to handle the extensive work required in a large city. For instance, there is a need for a routine flow of guaranteed resources to annually update the GHG inventory and monitor the compliance with the Reduction Plan’s goals.
On the positive side, the Global Covenant of Mayors has assisted the city in staying abreast of international demands and advancements related to climate change. “The necessary support is linked to the training of municipal technicians and the search for partners to assist the municipality in mitigating and adapting to the planet’s warming,” emphasizes the city. In recognition of its progress, Belo Horizonte has already received medals for adaptation, mitigation, and compliance from GCoM, standing out in the climate fight in Latin America.
To align with contemporary climate demands, the Climate Law has also been revised, now incorporating the target set during COP 26 to achieve Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050. The municipality is also promoting the planting of 60 thousand trees in four years, significantly aiding in reducing GHG emissions and improving air quality.
There is also a plan to launch a public call for the Municipal Fund for Environmental Defense to finance climate change mitigation projects, with a focus on the active involvement of women residing in areas of higher climate vulnerability, as indicated by a map produced in 2016.
Turning Waste into Action
In Belo Horizonte, the selective collection program involves associations and cooperatives of waste pickers and workers dealing with recyclable materials. In 2020, the Urban Cleaning System (SLU) allocated over 4 thousand tons of paper, metal, glass, and plastic to recycling cooperatives. From January to September 2021, 4,832 tons of waste have already been designated for recycling. The SLU also provides structures such as renting, building, and refurbishing warehouses for recyclable sorting and covers expenses for these associations.
The city has two types of selective collection: point-to-point and door-to-door. In door-to-door selective collection, recyclable materials are separated by residents and placed on the sidewalk to be collected. In the point-to-point model, the population separates recyclables at their homes and deposits them in containers installed by the Municipality.
Selective collection in Belo Horizonte covers the entire city territory. Currently, there are 40 Green Points (point-to-point collection) and 24 Voluntary Delivery Locations (LEVs). Door-to-door selective collection is carried out once a week, from Monday to Saturday, in 47 neighborhoods of the capital.
Biogas
Another environmentally beneficial practice in Belo Horizonte is the treatment of solid waste collected by the Urban Cleaning Superintendence, which generates clean energy. In September 2017, a biogas energy utilization plant was inaugurated at the Macaúbas Waste Treatment Center (Sabará), where the city’s waste is disposed of. The plant is owned by Asja Brasil and prevents the atmospheric emission of methane, a pollutant potentially 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2).
With the operation of this plant, approximately 1,246,000 tons equivalent of CO2 emissions per year have been avoided. For comparison, this value is equivalent to the CO2 emissions of 594 thousand cars.
The utilization plant consists of a network of pipes distributed throughout the landfill, collecting biogas and conveying it to a treatment center, where it is transformed into electrical energy. If this energy were produced by a thermoelectric plant, approximately 80 thousand barrels of oil would be required.
All the renewable electrical energy produced by the biogas utilization in the thermal plant in Sabará is connected to the electrical grid of Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais S.A. (Cemig) and distributed for use by various consumers. In addition to environmental gains, the operation brings financial benefits to Belo Horizonte, as part of the revenue generated from the sale of electrical energy is returned to the City Hall.
Partnerships and Financing for Climate Actions
On the path to resilience, Belo Horizonte relies on the support of various partners from the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
For instance, the city’s Local Climate Action Plan is being developed in collaboration with ICLEI South America and is expected to be completed by August 2022. The document will guide the municipal administration on the necessary policies and governance to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and adapt to the new climate reality. The partnership, initiated in 2016, focuses on promoting climate actions, such as the Urban Leds project, the development of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Plan.
The collaboration with ICLEI operates within the municipality’s Horizon 2030 Program, aiming to strengthen the capacities of municipal employees in relation to Global Development Frameworks: the New Urban Agenda, Agenda 2030, Sendai Framework, and the Paris Agreement. The program aims to empower municipal staff to localize sustainable development goals and formulate and enhance public policies that embody these principles, goals, indicators, and parameters.
In 2019, Belo Horizonte and seven other Brazilian cities submitted proposals to ICLEI for the implementation of energy efficiency and photovoltaic energy projects, seeking funding from the European Union (EU). BH’s proposal, winning the financing, focused on implementing a photovoltaic system at the Herbert José de Souza Municipal School, with the pilot project “Solar Schools.” On December 7, 2021, the solar power plant at the school was inaugurated. The partnership also facilitated the establishment of the Center for Sustainability Education at the Center for Languages and Creative Innovations of the Municipal Secretariat of the Environment, focusing on formal and informal pedagogical processes in the school environment and continuous education for educators, with an emphasis on Environmental and Climate Education.
Moreover, Belo Horizonte is also part of the Mercocities network, participating in training offered by the network, as well as policy councils and thematic councils, such as the gender council. In the pursuit of progress in its climate action, the city is also engaging in opportunities provided by projects of the C40 Cities network. One such initiative is being coordinated with BHTrans to qualify for international funding for the implementation of a pilot photovoltaic power plant at stations of the city’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, MOVE.
