There are 28 municipalities committed to the GCoM, and 16 of them already have Local Climate Action Plans.
Peru already has a National Strategy for local climate action supported by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which was presented on June 23 at an event attended by representatives of local governments, national institutions, and the European Union.
The National Strategy for local climate action in Peru includes measures to support Peruvian cities and municipalities that are members of the Global Covenant of Mayors in developing concrete climate actions over the next two years, thus contributing to the goals of the Paris Agreement to combat climate change and limit the increase in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The presentation of Peru’s strategy, moderated by journalist Paula Ugaz, took place during the “GCoM in Action Week: Latin American Cities for Climate,” where, in addition to Peru, strategies from Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina were presented.
The European Union will contribute more than five million euros until 2025 to support these actions in the Latin American region. Funding and support for training will be managed through the Global Covenant of Mayors, the largest network of cities for climate, with more than 11,800 members worldwide, of which 551 are Latin American cities and municipalities with a combined population of 243 million people.
Robert Steinlechner, Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation in Peru, said that, in light of the facts and as confirmed by science, the world continues to warm rapidly, all due to human influence. “The impacts of climate change are felt more directly and intensely in local communities around the world.” Therefore, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the largest global alliance of cities and local governments voluntarily committed to fighting climate change to mobilize and support climate and energy action from the cities.
Steinlechner pointed out that the contribution of cities to nationally determined contributions comes within the context of the Paris Agreement. “I want to highlight that the Paris Agreement is a commitment of the States, a commitment that ultimately falls on local authorities. In this sense, the GCoM was created to channel efforts, create synergies, and also provide spaces for knowledge and good practices exchange,” he concluded.
The Minister of Environment, Modesto Edilberto Montoya Zavaleta, highlighted the approval in 2021 of the methodological guidelines for the formulation and updating of Local Climate Action Plans as part of the implementation of the Framework Law on Climate Change and its Regulation. “We have been creating spaces for training and technical assistance to local governments.”
And he added: “We know and are very convinced that whatever we do, wherever we are, will influence the entire Earth. In that sense, what we are doing now will influence climate change and will reflect in effects on our lives, but especially on the lives of our children, grandchildren, and all our descendants.”
“There are 28 municipalities committed to the GCoM. Lima and San Isidro won a medal for full compliance, and 16 municipalities have local climate action plans.” This is how Liliana Miranda, Executive Director of the Cities for Life Forum (FCV), began her presentation on Peru’s goals and lines of action.
Miranda mentioned that there are six objectives in total, including: contributing to implementing priority areas of the GCoM by finalizing the PLACs of cities already committed to the GCoM during the International Urban Cooperation Programme (IUC-LAC); reactivating and accompanying the National Coordination and the National Advisory Council, and increasing the influence, visibility, and knowledge of the GCoM in the country, promoting the adhesion of new cities as members of the GCoM.
There are eight activities for the Strategy: developing a new Guide to elaborate PLACs with Adaptation, Mitigation, and Local Climate Governance measures for Amazonian Municipalities; three field visits for managers of municipalities signing the GCoM: new administrations and new signatories; working with the CCN to prioritize adaptation and mitigation measures in the PLACs to seek funding and/or government endorsement for their implementation; and closing activities in 2024 with a National Seminar (in-person and virtual) in Lima.
For Jorge Reategui, National Director of the Association of Municipalities of Peru (AMPE), this is the time to change things “and I believe we are making the right decision, and I congratulate each of the members in each of the states working on these plans.” The director also recalled the consequences of the pandemic on environmental work.
“During the pandemic, it was a blow to us, as it was worldwide. But it also made us reflect, reflect on the fact that we need to focus much more on the environmental aspect, on the ecosystem aspect, which is so important.”
More bike paths and less gas emissions
The Mayor of San Isidro, Augusto F. Cáceres Viñas, recalled that Peru is one of the countries where the climate change situation is dramatic. “As you all know, climate change and the deglaciation of the 18 mountain ranges in Peru are very important. We are the country with the largest number of tropical mountain ranges in the world,” he said.
The mitigation measures for greenhouse gas emissions in the district of San Isidro include increasing the number of bike paths by an additional 16.147 kilometers and the municipal service “Expreso San Isidro,” where electric buses that do not emit polluting gases were acquired. It is estimated that they will prevent 5,800 tons of carbon dioxide by 2050.
Commitment and development
Miguel Ángel Atausupa Quin, from the Sub-Management of Environmental Sanitation of the Provincial Municipality of Cusco, spoke on behalf of the Mayor of Cusco, Victor Beluarte Medina.
The provincial municipality of Cusco committed to developing this local climate action plan for the province of Cusco post-pandemic. With a focus from 2022 to 2030, centered on a climate change context and, above all, also focusing on the sustainable development goals, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase Cusco’s resilience to climate change. “In Cusco, first as a region, we are currently updating our regional strategy against climate change,” he said.
There are 19 strategies identified by the local government related to issues such as water, biodiversity, forests, agriculture, and production. “In this participatory process, our priority is to listen to all actors to promote climate action in Cusco. Working in line with the local governments that make up the province, together with our eight local governments. Each has the skills to result in a province with sustainable, low-carbon, and climate-resilient development,” added Atausupa.
Meanwhile, Jordan Harris, coordinator of the Global Covenant of Mayors in the Americas, highlighted that during the event, “very clear examples were shown of how very different cities, of various sizes, contexts, and diverse realities such as Cusco and San Isidro, can take concrete measures to respond to the climate crisis.”
“We hope this is truly the beginning of a new cycle of the GCoM in Peru to build together a better, more sustainable, and resilient future in the face of the climate crisis. Always count on the support of the GCoM and the European Union to continue contributing to strengthening cities, all the municipalities of Peru, and the entire Latin American continent in their planning and action commitments against climate change,” concluded Harris.
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 action against climate change, reducing its 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 taking bold local actions and working together in a network to share innovative solutions that enable mayors to do more, faster. The GCoM invites new municipalities and cities to join this initiative.
