Author: Claudia Kirschning

The First Meeting on Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Systems Learning Networks at Municipal Level: Experiences of Mexico and Germany had the purpose of promoting the concept of municipal Learning Networks (LN) as mechanisms to achieve an effective energy management and reduce the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) locally, as well as to exchange experiences based on several success stories from Mexico and Germany.

 

Photo: CONUEE. Group photo.

 

The meeting was held in Mexico City on May 3rd, 2019 and representatives of subnational governments of Mexico and Germany, representatives of State Secretaries, the Institute of Urban Planning of Germany (Difu) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH participated. During the event, the speakers addressed different perspectives on energy efficiency (EE) and energy management at the municipal level in Germany and Mexico, as well as regulatory and financial differences and similarities to implement Learning Networks and EE measures. There were also success stories from both countries, such as the Aguascalientes LN on issues of public lighting and pumping of drinking water. In the framework of this event the launch of the video of experiences of Energy Efficiency Learning Networks at municipal level was made.

 

Photo: CONUEE. Exchange of experiences between Mexico and Germany.

 

Among the most noteworthy points, was that the LN help to reduce costs in the energy management systems, the costs of implementing the LN are reduced because they are shared among different actors and / or municipalities, they help to increase competitiveness, and they improve the energy performance and generate capacities thanks to the exchange of experiences among the actors involved. It was also mentioned that a great challenge is to follow up the activities once the LN is finished, since additional funds are needed to implement the EE measures identified.

Learning Networks are collaborative spaces where different organizations with a common goal get together, in this case EE or energy management, achieving results from the exchange of experiences, through technical support and professional moderation. The concept has been successfully implemented in countries such as Switzerland and Germany, where the initiative “Energy Efficiency Learning Networks” (Initiative Energieeffizienz-Netzwerke, IEEN, for its acronym in German) has been created with companies, and since 2015, has also integrated the municipal level.

In Mexico, within the framework of the National Program for Energy Management Systems (PRONASGEn) 2014-2018, the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE) with the support of GIZ has laid the foundations for the implementation of learning networks in the country. In this regard, they developed in 2016 various manuals and guides on the subject and several learning networks with the private initiative in different productive sectors, as well as at the municipal level, have been carried out with great success. By 2019, three municipal learning networks have been implemented in Mexico in the States of Coahuila, Aguascalientes and Morelos, with the participation of 30 municipalities. Therefore, the potential to develop municipal LN is still very large.

 

Photo: CONUEE. Attendees of the First Meeting on Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Systems Learning Networks.

 

Because the municipal LN show differences and a different level of complexity when compared with those in purely business contexts, the CONUEE, with the support of GIZ, prepared the document “Strategic orientations for the implementation of Energy Efficiency Learning Networks and Systems of Energy Management at the Municipal Level“, which was presented during the meeting. It takes up the experiences of municipal learning networks in Mexico, Germany and Brazil and seeks to support local actors in overcoming the challenges that a municipal learning network faces in order to successfully implement the model and, ultimately, to introduce the methodology as a means to improve the energy performance of the municipalities.

Finally, as part of the dynamics of the meeting, the attendees identified their main energy needs and, based on this, raised issues in which they could develop Learning Networks in their respective municipalities, identifying potential partners and considering what technical support they would require of the CONUEE. Some of the topics in which the participants showed interest in creating LN were: waste management, water resources, public lighting and buildings. In addition, some of the needs identified were: training programs, institutional linkage, communication, dissemination and assistance for financing projects at the local level.

 

Photo: CONUEE. Dynamics of identification of energy needs and possible Learning Networks.

 

For more information, see here:

Climate and biodiversity context in Mexico

In recent years, Mexico has become a proactive actor in terms of its climate change and biodiversity policies, both nationally and internationally. As part of the Paris Agreement, the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Mexico foresees a non-conditional reduction of 22% of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. Moreover, the Mexican NDC devotes special attention to adaptation measures, including a zero deforestation rate by 2030. At the national level, the National Climate Change Law entered into force in 2012. In addition, in 2016, Mexico hosted the 13th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, emphasizing the integration of biodiversity in different sectors. In the same way, in 2016 the National Biodiversity Strategy and the Action Plan in Mexico came into force.

 

The International Climate Initiative (IKI)

The International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature  Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)  is a key element of climate finance and the commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The initiative focuses on four funding areas:

  1. mitigating greenhouse gas emissions
  2. adapting to the impacts of climate change
  3. conserving natural carbon sinks with a focus on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+)
  4. conserving biological diversity

Mexico is a focal country in terms of IKI funds. IKI currently finances 40 bilateral, regional and global projects in Mexico that are implemented by more than 15 organizations in the four IKI funding areas.

 

The Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance and its interface function of IKI projects in Mexico

In Mexico, the BMU has assigned the interface function to the bilateral project “Alliance Mexicana-Alemana de Cambio Climático” with the objective of promoting  exchange among IKI projects in Mexico and providing information regarding the entire IKI portfolio of the country to the BMU. Within the framework of its IKI interface, the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance facilitates knowledge management for IKI projects in Mexico. This includes organizing annual exchanges among IKI projects as well as the managing the IKI Alliance Mexico blog and newsletter  about impacts and activities of IKI projects.

 

Summary of the first and second exchange workshop

In June 2017, the first workshop brought together 80 representatives of 26 IKI projects, their political partners and three representatives of the BMUB and the IKI Program Office. The projects expressed interest and need for exchange and proposed processes for an effective link among IKI projects. Based on a proposal from the IKI interface, a knowledge management strategy was developed that focuses on three elements: newsletter, online platform, and face-to-face meetings.

In April 2018, the second IKI networking workshop in Mexico brought together 65 representatives from different IKI projects, their political partners from the Mexican federal government, and two BMU representatives and the IKI Program Office. The contributions of IKI projects to the achievement of the goals of the NDC and the National Biodiversity Strategy were identified. Likewise, the co-benefits of each project were analyzed regarding the fulfillment of the Agenda 2030. On the second day, the progress of projects were discussed around cross-cutting issues and experiences and lessons learnt were shared. At the end, the knowledge management strategy was analyzed, and opportunities for action were defined.

 

Objectives of the third networking workshop

Day 1:

  • Present new IKI projects and exchange lessons learnt among projects

Day 2:

  • Inform about knowledge management in the framework of the IKI
  • Present the IKI portfolio in Mexico to the new Mexican government
  • Define the contributions of IKI projects to the NDC and the National Biodiversity Strategy/Action Plan in Mexico

 

Workshop format

Language: Spanish (with parts in English)

Participants day 1: afternoon: ZUG and IKI projects

Participants day 2: morning: ZUG and IKI projects, afternoon: representatives of IKI project counterparts, BMU, ZUG and IKI projects

 

More information: Third IKI networking workshop in Mexico 

 

The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) must materialize as actions at the local level. In order for municipalities to adapt to and mitigate their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, they need to develop and implement their own climate policies according to their needs and contexts.

At the municipal level, a clear mandate and alignment with State and Federal policy is essential to accelerate coordinated climate action and achieve compliance with Mexico’s NDC. In this context, the Ministry of the Environment and Territorial Development (SEMADET) published the “Guide for the Elaboration or Updating of the State of Jalisco’s Municipal Climate Change Programs” to strengthen the technical and institutional capacities of municipalities and guide the standardized development of climate change programs at the local level.

In Mexico, the State of Jalisco has been a pioneer in the development of legal instruments, institutional arrangements and climate change coordination mechanisms in its 125 municipalities. In 2015, the State promulgated its State Law on Climate Change and established, under its legal framework, that all municipalities must prepare, approve and publish their Municipal Climate Change Programs (PMCCs) before August 2019. In this way, this guide was designed from the learning of previous exercises and based on current methodologies, and is aligned with the State policy of Jalisco to support the development of different local planning instruments.

The development of this product was supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the Vertically Integrated Climate Policies (VICLIM) project and forms part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

Guide for the Elaboration or Updating of Municipal Climate Change Programs

The Guide describes the 10 different stages that make up the PMCC development process. Each stage is supported by various annexes that facilitate the preparation of the GHG inventory, a vulnerability analysis, the design and prioritization of measures, among others. The main objective of this instrument is for the municipality to have a portfolio of prioritized and feasible projects that can be implemented to mitigate GHGs and reduce vulnerability to climate change effects. Both the Guide and its annexes are available on the SEMADET website here.

 

Brief Diagram of the Guide’s 10 Steps

 

Preparation of the Climate Change Program in the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta

During the first half of 2019, GIZ will support the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta in the development of its PMCC. Tourism is the most prominent economic activity in Puerto Vallarta; as a result, emissions and pressure on social and ecosystem systems is greater than in other municipalities, which increases climate vulnerability. This exercise will have a practical use-case methodology that allows for the identification of lessons learned that are transferable to other municipalities within Jalisco and to other States, as well as for opportunities to improve the methodology.

For the development of this work, a close collaboration is imagined between the projects VICLIM and ADAPTUR (Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change with the Tourism Sector), the latter of which operates in the Riviera Nayarit-Jalisco in the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta.

 

Guide for the Elaboration or Updating of Municipal Climate Change Programs

On November 23, 2018, the second version of the Methodology for the Prioritization of Climate Change Adaptation Measures was launched in an event at the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City. The methodology integrates the Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach and is designed to work with adaptation measures that employ strategies to address environmental services (or ecosystem services), and incorporate biodiversity and “green” actions that can help reduce the vulnerability of communities and affected rural or urban systems to climate change.

 

This new edition includes the development of an interactive software in which all materials, tools, audiovisual resources and templates can be downloaded to help give priority to adaptation measurements. It also includes the new edition of the Methodology Use and Dissemination Guide with the EbA approach, which can be downloaded in its digital version. The software will be available on the websites of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and IKI Alliance Mexico.

 

 

 

By developing these tools and strengthening the technical capacities of decision makers and the general populace around climate change adaptation, Mexico will be able to select, prioritize and implement a portfolio of regional and local adaptation measures that enhance the adaptive capacities of key actors and reduce the vulnerability of systems exposed to climate change.

A new report from the Deutsche Welle (DW) broadcaster shows how modern methods are being applied to conservation monitoring in the Selva Maya.

 

The Selva Maya, shared by Belize, Guatemala and Mexico, is the largest tropical forest in Mesoamerica and harbors high levels of biodiversity. Unfortunately, this massive forest declines in size by about 30,000 hectares each year due to pressures such as agricultural and livestock expansion, forest fires and illegal trafficking of flora and fauna.

As a result, monitoring activities are extremely important for learning about the trends affecting different habitats and species, as well as understanding the threats and proper management of protected areas. Monitoring provides relevant information to decision-makers and raises awareness among the general populace, which helps lead to proactive steps to deal with ecosystem threats.

 

The International Climate Initiative’s (IKI) trinational project (Belize, Guatemala and Mexico) Promotion of Biodiversity and Climate Change Monitoring in the Selva Maya Region strengthens monitoring capacities in protected areas of the region.

A new DW report presents three examples of the work carried out by the project in Mexico, including the use of the SMART tool in the management of protected natural areas, the promotion of citizen science through the use of the eBird platform and regional collaboration in the monitoring of aguadas (large water reservoirs) and their associated fauna.

Jalisco government representatives and nongovernmental actors meet in a start-up workshop to assess the vulnerability of the state and its regions to climate change and identify long-term priorities for climate adaptation.

States have a key role to play in achieving the commitments established in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), as their actions will have a direct impact on how climate change affects state territories.

 

Why is it necessary to create the State Plan for Climate Change Adaptation in Jalisco?

This process is important for linking the existing instruments and highlighting the state’s contributions towards meeting the NDC. The first participatory workshop helped determine vulnerability gaps and potential opportunities for action in Jalisco. It aimed to identify actions that the state can take to meet goals related to climate change adaptation.

 

 

The workshop began with Camilo de la Garza, Climate Change Advisor of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Arturo Javier Palero Castro, Project Coordinator of the Ministry of the Environment and Territorial Development (SEMADET) of Jalisco, offering words of welcome and highlighting the importance of state processes on climate change. As a starting point for the workshop discussions, they also introduced the international, national and state contexts regarding climate change. Another speaker, Sofía Muñoz Alarcón, employed the “Action Learning” methodology to explain key concepts such as vulnerability, adaptation and impact chains.

 

Following the presentations, participants were divided into three groups according to the NDC’s three adaptation axes: social sector climate change adaptation (Axis 1 NDC), Ecosystem-based Adaptation (Axis 2 NDC: EbA) and strategic infrastructure and productive systems adaptation (Axis 3 NDC).

 

 

Teams developed climate impact chains for each state sector and territorial region, with the impact chains corresponding to one of the three adaptation axes. Using current climate policy instruments as a reference point for examining vulnerabilities to climate change, the working group discussions focused on identifying gaps and areas of opportunity. From these gaps, each team formulated concrete proposals to complement the existing climate tools and resources.

 

As an outcome of the workshop, it was agreed to integrate the elements identified in the working groups into future discussions and planning for Jalisco’s State Plan for Climate Change Adaptation.

 

The first participatory workshop was held on September 24, 2018 in Guadalajara at the headquarters of the Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks in Jalisco (COPRISJAL)  and brought together more than 30 people from different sectors. It was organized by GIZ in Mexico on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and SEMADET of the state of Jalisco.

The state of Sonora is one of 23 states with a climate change law. Signed into law in November 2017, it is the only state climate change law in Mexico that is aligned with both the international commitments of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Among its functions, the Climate Change Law of Sonora establishes the basic instruments of state policy on climate change. One of these instruments is the State Environmental Fund, which has a dual legal basis since it is also mentioned within the Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection of the State of Sonora. This fund will allow the state to manage its resources to support and implement environmental actions.

 

The Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has supported the Commission of Ecology and Sustainable Development of the State of Sonora (CEDES) in establishing operating rules and procedures and in surveillance of the fund. In a highly participatory process, between December 2017 and August 2018 the fund’s technical committee helped developed the rules, which will soon be published.

 

 

The implementation of the operating rules will make Sonora the first state to have a financial mechanism with inclusive language that allows the state to collect and direct public, private, national and international financial resources to carry out actions and projects that address the state’s environmental problems.

This consultancy is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

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Mexico’s 2012 General Law on Climate Change (LGCC) has undergone significant reforms in 2018, among them the inclusion of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which was established at the Paris Agreement. The law mandated the creation of the National Registry of Emissions (RENE), which has been in force since October 2014.

The new Blockchain digital technology has aroused special interest as a tool that can help improve transparency in climate change policy instruments, including for monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, carbon markets, value chains and carbon footprints. Blockchain technology allows the exchange of information through a cryptographic protocol whose users are constantly updated and verified.

The IKI projects Preparation of an Emissions Trading System in Mexico (ETS) and the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance and the GIZ offices in Brazil and Costa Rica, are collaborating to 1) explore Blockchain’s potential for climate policies and value chains and 2) inform and exchange knowledge with colleagues and their counterparts on the subject.

Within the framework of this collaboration, an introductory study on Blockchain and climate change will soon be published. In addition, three case studies are currently being conducted in Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico:

  • In Brazil, the potential for Blockchain technology for fishing and livestock sector value chains is being analyzed, taking into account climate aspects.
  • The Costa Rica case study focuses on the potential of Blockchain to measure the carbon footprint in the coffee sector.
  • In Mexico, the potential for Blockchain technology is being analyzed for carbon markets and for MRV systems for climate mitigation and financing.

 

Based on the case studies, a comparative summary will be developed to generate climate change policy instruments, taking into account the lessons learned from the case studies in each region.

To present the results, two webinars will be carried out: Webinars.

  • The first will be on October 4 and will aim to introduce the topic and discuss the potential of Blockchain for generating climate policies in Latin America. For more information, consult here
  • The second will be held in November and present the results of the case studies and a final summary. The date is to be confirmed.

 

Agenda

The “Climate Finance Day in Mexico” (DFCMX) was held in Mexico City on September 18. At the event, diverse stakeholders interested in climate change exchanged lessons learned, challenges and opportunities related to the access, management, allocation and mobilization of financing for achieving the climate change goals established by the Mexican Government at the national and international level.

The DFCMX included two keynote speakers and eight thematic sessions, and was attended by stakeholders from the public, social, academic, financial and private sectors—all of whom agreed to the crucial role of financing in dealing with challenges related to climate change.

The Mexican Government has estimated that to comply with its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), “The total expenditure needed during the period 2014–2030 is 126 billion USD (approximately eight billion USD, per year). On the other hand, the cost of not acting has been estimated at about 143 billion USD for the country.”

Transparencia Mexicana and the Climate Finance Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GFLAC) have estimated that climate financing granted by multilateral and bilateral agencies during 2017 and 2018 was about 730.7 million USD [1] (approximately 365.3 million USD, annually).

In terms of public financing for climate change, according to Annex 16 of the federal budget, the resources allocated for climate change amounted to about 2.045 million USD in 2017 and 3.248 million USD in 2018. In 2017, the total amount of resources (from international agencies and the federal budget) for climate change was approximately 2.410 million USD—just 1.9% of the annual investment needed to tackle climate change.

 

Although different efforts have been made to finance climate projects, important funding gaps remain. This makes resource mobilization from private and financial sectors imperative. During the event, commercial, multilateral and national development banks, as well as other financial entities like the Bank of Mexico and the Mexican Stock Exchange, discussed the various steps currently being taken to address the lack of climate financing. However, most of the projects they identified are still in their early stages and thus not yet integrated into the financial sector.

 

The DFCMX was organized by GFLAC in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the Climate Initiative of Mexico, as well as a large number of allies and sponsors, including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The event seeks to be replicated each year, and to build on the support of actors that participated in this year’s event.

 

https://www.financiamientoclimaticomx.com/

 

[1] The figure is deflated in regard to the baseline year 2017 and is reported in millions of dollars of the same year. Moreover, the figure only refers to amounts granted by different funds of  multilateral and bilateral sources, but does not include co-financing amounts and counterparts or transnational projects that include Mexico and other countries, as there is no certainty of how many resources will be allocated to the country.

 

 

 

Morelos is updating its legal framework on climate change to increase its support to Mexico’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

The Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance supports the government of Morelos in developing and updating its state law on climate change. The purpose of the law is to align itself with the latest update of the Mexican General Law on Climate Change.

In collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the government of Morelos has identified technical topics, regulatory elements and faculties, and established a reference framework related to local characteristics and priorities. The draft law incorporates a gender perspective and respect for human rights and includes important elements such as new technical concepts and economic, evaluation and planning instruments. In addition, the law promises contributions towards meeting national commitments of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing the resilience of social and natural ecosystems.

At the end of the previous administration, the participated in various meetings with the legal area of the governor´s office to discuss the importance of supporting and approving the law in the local congress. The Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance implemented by GIZ is working with the new government, which took over in October 2018, to increase awareness on this climate change law initiative and the importance of approving the draft law.

El Tepozteco, archeological site in Morelos, Mexico.

Technical and legal support to promote legal frameworks on climate change at subnational level

The Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance supports the Mexican Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) in developing guidelines for legal frameworks on climate change at the subnational level, which are based on the experience of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with state governments. SEMARNAT and GIZ have identified the importance of developing capacities and supporting local governments through expert guidance on technical and legal issues. This process aims to avoid and reduce common mistakes related to climate concepts, distribution of faculties, local capacities and economic, evaluation and planning instruments.

The guidelines discuss the relevance of establishing policy coordination mechanisms between local and federal governments, as well as enforcement elements that promote an understanding of the legal framework on climate change. At the same time, the guidelines encourage states to achieve national climate contributions and harmonize their climate efforts and policies with the National System on Climate Change (SINACC), which is designed as a space for dialogue, learning, and coordination between the federal government, congress, states and municipalities.