Chilean municipalities present their strategies against climate change

The National Local Climate Action Strategy of Chile, supported by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, was presented on June 22 at an event that included the participation of representatives from local, national, and European Union governments.
The National Local Climate Action Strategy of Chile includes measures to support Chilean cities and municipalities that are members of the Global Covenant of Mayors in implementing concrete climate actions over the next two years, thus contributing to the goals of the Paris Agreement to combat climate change and limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The presentation of Chile’s strategy, moderated by journalist Karen González, took place during the “Covenant in Action Week: Latin American Cities for Climate,” where the strategies of Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina were also presented.
The European Union will contribute over five million euros until 2025 to support these actions in the Latin American region. The financing and support will be managed through the Global Covenant of Mayors, the largest network of climate cities, with more than 12,500 members worldwide, of which 551 are Latin American cities and municipalities, together with a population of 243 million people.
It is estimated that up to 75% of the world’s total emissions come from cities. Therefore, it is important for the cities that emit the most greenhouse gases to work on decarbonization plans. The Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation in Chile, Ewout Sandker, expressed: “It is observed that cities demonstrate an increasing level of commitment, ambition, and take concrete actions in both adaptation and mitigation of climate change.”
“Technical support, monitoring for the development of local climate action plans, with the support, contribution, and validation of communities, is provided. It is particularly important that this work is carried out in the context of Chile’s new legislative framework on climate change with the adoption of the Framework Law on Climate Change,” he stated.
Jenny Mager, Head of the Climate Change Division, added that for Chile, the fight against climate change “has become a state policy in recent years.” The urgency of immediate climate action is based on overwhelming scientific evidence that as a country we cannot ignore.
Mager stated that in the latest report of IPCC Working Group III on mitigation, it was particularly highlighted that the necessary and possible actions to meet the Paris Agreement goals must be planned, but rather implemented from the local scale. “Therefore, from the Ministry of Environment, we have recognized the importance of working in this way directly with regional governments and municipalities to have concrete planning and action against climate change,” she said.

Rodrigo Arias, Coordinator for International Affairs of the Chilean Association of Municipalities (AChM), which presides over the National Advisory Committee of the Global Covenant of Mayors in Chile, was in charge of presenting the strategic vision in the national context of Chile, the main lines of action, and the objectives of local governments.
There are 13 cities committed to the GCoM, including: Peñalolén, Valparaíso, Santiago, Cerro Navia, and Providencia. The objectives of the strategic plan are: climate governance; dissemination and scalability; continuous training and knowledge management; strategic planning and implementation; and reporting, monitoring, and evaluation.
The plan also presents two lines of action: Visibility and Advocacy and Technical Support. The first aims to hold forums and meetings to disseminate the experiences of the municipalities belonging to the GCoM at a higher hierarchical level. The technical support provides reflective support for the development of local climate action plans, focusing on efforts in different regions and the reality of the country.
“This strategy aims to promote sustainable development at the subnational level, contributing to meeting national and global climate goals, facilitating this work process in an international standardized framework supported by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. This means promoting climate action from the municipalities by articulating public policies with a multilevel approach and strengthening the main programs related to sustainable, resilient, and low-emission local management,” he said.

An Environmental and Climate Change Vocation from the Beginning
Peñalolén is a commune located in the pre-mountain range of the Metropolitan Region, with low per capita income and geographical and territorial characteristics that make it very vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Mayor Carolina Leitao, of the Municipality of Peñalolén, reported that the city has adhered to a series of international commitments such as Race to Zero. “Recently, we have also proudly received recognitions for local climate management, being recognized as a leading city in climate action in the 2020 Global Evaluation,” she said.
The city has milestones in environmental and climate management, where the foundations have been laid for management based on addressing the climate crisis as a development problem. The municipality is also part of the Chilean Network of Municipalities for Climate Change. Leitao emphasized: “We were able to develop our first climate change plan in a participatory manner. We adhered in 2018, which has allowed us to make a qualitative leap and better guide the work to have better and greater commitments, knowledge, evaluation, and permanent measurement of our actions.”
Jordan Harris, Coordinator of the Covenant in the Americas, stated that cities like Peñalolén and many other Chilean cities are demonstrating an increasing level of commitment and ambition and implementing concrete actions, both for adaptation and mitigation. “We see very clearly that the capacities of local governments are strengthened when there are dialogue spaces like the GCoM where experiences and best practices can be shared.”
He concluded: “We hope this is truly the beginning of a new cycle for the GCoM in Chile to build a better and more resilient future in the face of the climate crisis,” he said.

More than 500 municipalities united in Latin America
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is a global alliance of more than 12,500 cities and local governments in over 140 countries voluntarily committed to climate action, reducing their inevitable impacts, and facilitating access to sustainable and affordable energy for all. The GCoM was created in 2016 with the merger of the two largest networks of mayors and cities working on climate and energy issues: the Compact of Mayors and the Covenant of Mayors. Today, more than 500 municipalities and cities in Latin America are part of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. These are cities and municipalities that are taking bold local actions and working together in a network to share innovative solutions that enable mayors to do more, faster. The Covenant invites new municipalities and cities to join this initiative.

More information:
– Website of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy
– More information about the Global Covenant of Mayors on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Press contact: Ébida Santos, [email protected]