The city traditionally recognized for its tourist landscapes and its characteristic cold is also the pioneer in its region in terms of adaptation and response to climatic emergencies.
In Bariloche, as it is commonly called, a previous work was carried out in which the Undersecretary of Civil Protection identified the main threats and associated risks, among which are threats typical of global climate change.
Based on this information, the Emergency Plan was prepared, which includes the work methodology and the way to proceed in the event of a contingency. It has detailed information on the responsibilities of multiple actors in the city, such as private companies, the hotel sector, health institutions, security agencies, public service companies, educational institutions, among others, all committed by letter of commitment, to work together in case of an eventuality. A group of interdisciplinary volunteers trained for this purpose joins this team.
Aware of its responsibility with the environment and with climate change, the city has adhered to various initiatives in order to promote sustainability and mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions.
At the national level, Bariloche joined the Resilient Cities program (2019), within the framework of the National System for Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection (SINAGIR), of which Bariloche is based in the Patagonian region. The objective is for the city to strengthen its comprehensive risk management capacities and obtain better access to diagnostic and training tools generated by the National Secretariat for Civil Protection, and specifically by the Directorate for Mitigation and Recovery.
Internationally, adhesion to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy symbolizes and ratifies their commitment to identify emissions and threats, define goals and establish policies against climate change.
In the first year since the Covenant was signed, the city worked on calculating the first GHG inventory, based on the Global GHG Inventory Protocol for Local Governments (GPC), fulfilling one of the first commitments assumed.
“The inventory thus becomes an indispensable tool to identify the participation of the different sectors in total emissions and define the lines of work in the city in the Local Plan of Climate Action (PLAC), published in 2020”, highlighted the Mayor Gustavo Genusso.
The inventory, in turn, functions as a baseline to measure the performance of the different efforts carried out to mitigate climate change in line with the goals proposed in the aforementioned PLAC.
Sustainable Bariloche
During 2019, and for the management of 2020-2023, one of the main axes is the Sustainable Bariloche, focused specifically on urban sustainability. This shows that the issue is at the center of the political agenda, highlighting the management’s commitment to environmental issues.
In this sense, the city has various projects that seek to lead it towards public sustainability policies, which are characterized by a decrease in the city’s GHG emissions and a reduction in vulnerability. For this, we work with the community under different modalities.
“La Mesa Bariloche Sustentable” stands out as a work group in which civil organizations as well as different public institutions of the city participate. Based on it, some of the actions of the main axes established in the PLAC have been defined.
Other mitigation actions are also being adopted, for example, the replacement of LED lights in public lighting, the Sustainability Households and Andean Bioenergy Programs, the energy diagnosis of municipal buildings, the network of bicycle paths and bike-streets and the pilot program Energy Labeling of homes.
