Tag: digitalización

In its second edition, the Climate Change Action Groups (GACC), brought together public, private and civil sectors to exchange experiences and discuss solutions to the challenges posed by climate change and the future after the COVID-19 pandemic.

To combat the effects of climate change, municipal and state governments, civil organisations and academic staff follow three axes: green recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of local actions, and the use of technological tools for environmental protection.

Green Recovery in Cities

 The COVID-19 health emergency has caused job losses and changes in the way cities work. We must detect risks and foresee the actions to be carried out, considering them as opportunities: for example, by generating jobs with a more sustainable approach, protecting the environment and taking advantage of existing legal frameworks, good political will and socialisation of ideas.

The programme to promote entrepreneurs and small business owners is one tool to achieve green recovery in cities, with two cases of local entrepreneurship, one in Hermosillo (Sonora) and the other in San Nicolás de los Garza (Nuevo León). Other examples are the national vision of building a sustainable mobility model in order to achieve shared streets as well as the storage of organic waste through energy recovery in Naucalpan de Juárez (State of Mexico).

Local Climate Action and Links with Civil Society and Academia

Local governments play an essential role in the public policy development and project implementation. In view of the above, it is necessary to create links with civil society organisations and academia to generate the technical capacities in the territory and ensure that the projects extend through the next administrations.

Currently, Mexican municipalities and states are acting to reduce greenhouse gases and increase resilience with projects such as the sustainable sanitation of wastewater in Guanajuato, detecting opportunities and co-benefits. Other examples of local actions are the Carbon Budgets and Decarbonisation Routes in Yucatán and Jalisco, as well as the Energy Transition Actions Against Change in Quintana Roo and Puebla.

Digital City and Environmental Protection

 Today, digital technologies are gaining relevance in environmental issues, such as the development of mobile applications and virtual courses that help to sensitise the community, reach a wider audience and promote environmental protection.

The cases of the mobile application for urban trees, Árbol MID, in Yucatán, the mobile application for mapping public transport routes MOVIDATA, and the RAECO application promoting sustainable consumption of electronic devices are examples of the use of digital resources for user awareness and capacity-building. Also, there are virtual courses on the national application of climate finance based on the SEMARNAT exercise.

German Experiences

The three thematic axes mentioned were part of the second edition of the Climate Change Action Groups (GACC), held virtually from September 1-3, 2021, in which German experiences of combating climate change from cities were also shared.

Gesa Homann, head of the Berlin Senate’s Environment and Climate Action policy, presented the Berlin 2030 Climate and Energy Protection Program (BEK 2030), which aims to make the city carbon neutral by 2050, meaning that the amount of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere is balanced with the number of emissions that are mitigated in different ways–also known as a zero-carbon footprint. This implies limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

Meanwhile, Agnes Schönfelder, spokesperson for the Local Office of the Green Deal in the city of Mannheim and head of the Climate Strategy Office, explained that the city is one of Germany’s pilot cities, working closely with citizens to bring the city to Zero Emissions by 2030: this means that no new emissions will be added to the atmosphere by human activities.

 

Screenshot of the keynote address of the Mannheim Local Pact, by Agnes Schönfelder.

Exchange of Experiences and Good Practices

The collaborative sessions were the basis of the GACC, in which municipalities and states shared their experiences and good practices to combat climate change in the rest of the country. In addition, it placed emphasis on the importance of alliances between institutions to support the projects and actions that municipalities and state governments develop and implement in their territories, as well as fostering spaces for exchange that can become a learning resource.

The projects presented at the event have been implemented through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Mexico, the Climate Community of Mexico (Comunidad Climática de Mexico, CCM), the Mexican Association of Municipal Planning Institutes (AMIMP) and ICLEI- Local Governments for sustainability in the fight against climate change.

To consult the sessions in more detail, the report of this edition of the GACC is now available, with the collection of the main lessons learned from each good practice, so that they can be consulted by the new administrations of municipal and state governments, as well as academia and civil society organisations in Mexico.

 

Screenshot of the closing of the event. From left to right: Philipp Schukat (GIZ), Jorge Villareal (CCM), Yuriana Gonzalez (GIZ), Sofía Álvarez (consultant), Alvaro Luna (GIZ), Luis Carlos Lara (AMIMP), Claudia Hernandez (GIZ).

Presentations During the Event

  • Day 1 Presentations

 

 

 

 

The links and alliances between sectors that make up the innovation ecosystem allow connections to be made, fostering dialog about common goals such as the strengthening of local competencies through technological innovation in sustainable energy and new cooperation models. This is the way HUBIQ—Hub de Innovación Tecnológica (Technological Innovation Hub) addressing sustainable energy in the state of Querétaro—has enabled the creation and promotion of these links between a range of actors such as businesses, the government, academia, MSMEs, start-ups, and entrepreneurs, driving the energy transition in the state and thus contributing to Mexico’s climate goals. HUBIQ was fostered by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the Enhancing the Coherence of Climate and Energy Policies in Mexico project (CONECC), and the Ministry of Sustainable Development of the State of Queretaro (SEDESU).

Recently, HUBIQ was legally established as a Civil Association (A.C.), a milestone for the project. This means that it can strengthen its role as an actor in the local and regional innovation ecosystem. Representatives of HUBIQ, the CONECC project, and Queretaro Energy Cluster, and LiCore A.C. company participated in the signing of the founding documents. They are founding partners and key allies in the formation of the Hub. Other prominent members of the Hub’s Advisory Board include Rosalba Cobos from Mabe’s Technology Center in Querétaro and Dr. Yunny Meas Vong, member of the Electrochemistry Technology Research and Development Center (CIDETEQ).

This is a breakthrough for the project as it positions itself as a platform connecting local innovation actors. It also fosters collaboration for climate action and bolsters sustainable energy technologies and business models in the state.

As a result of this, HUBIQ is in the strategic planning process to define its next steps and activities within the innovation ecosystem. These include fostering alliances with other innovation ecosystems, continuing the Technological Acceleration Program for MSMEs and start-ups, and the publication of a manual for implementing technological innovation hubs addressing renewable energy and energy efficiency. The aim is to communicate the steps and activities to consider, as well as the lessons learned, and to support the replicability of this innovation experience in the country.

The HUBIQ will soon participate in discussions about the CONECC project on technological innovation and innovation ecosystems for climate action and the sustainable and inclusive energy transition nationally, sub-nationally, and regionally. It is aligned with a sustainable socio-economic post-pandemic recovery.