The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had a devastating impact in all regions of the world. According to the World Bank, in 2020 the global economy began to suffer the worst recession since World War II. The World Economic Outlook Report (World Bank, 2022) notes that global growth slowed from 5.7% in 2021 to 2.9% in 2022, and in Latin America the economy was projected to decelerate sharply to 2.5% in 2022, after a 6.1% rebound in 2021. The economies of Latin America and the Caribbean have been hard hit by economic shocks, and, in parallel, the effects of climate change have exacerbated vulnerabilities.
In the findings of its sixth assessment cycle, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed the importance of acting now on climate resilient development to cope with the increasing negative impacts of climate change.
In this context, meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and limiting the adverse effects of climate change, while greening economies, is an opportunity to move beyond the crisis and build a sustainable and inclusive future.
In the framework of the Environmental Management and Rural Development Sectoral Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (GADeR-ALC) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, through the Workstream “Aligning climate action (NDC) with green recovery in Latin America”, a study was developed that explores and shows eight noteworthy examples of green recovery integrated into economic recovery processes and NDC implementation in four countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. These examples identify “best practices” in NDC implementation that can inspire and be applied and scaled in other countries in the region.
Consult the study by clicking on the image below:
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).
In the context of Covid-19 and in the framework of Urban October 2020, a space for dialogue was opened to reflect on the link between urban development and economic reactivation. In the discussion, actions that are being carried out for economic reactivation in different municipalities of the country were presented, and the role that municipalities play in attending to different emergencies was recognised to be of great relevance, since they know well the needs and the potential of their cities, as well as being the first in line when receiving citizens’ demands.
On October 7 of this year, the National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development (Inafed) promoted a dialogue between the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ México) GmbH, the Ministry of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU) and the Municipality of Hermosillo, Sonora, to reflect on urban development and economic reactivation. The dialogue was attended by more than 200 public officials who connected through Zoom and Facebook Live platforms.
Dennis Quennet, talking on behalf of GIZ, stressed that the health emergency should not remove the focus from the climate emergency; he stressed that the upcoming climate plans, programmes, projects, and investments must have a sustainable and long-term vision. He proposed an acceleration of the recovery by promoting new markets and green jobs, highlighting the fields of infrastructure, mobility, and urban gardens, while addressing the challenges of climate change.
The municipal president of Hermosillo shared her vision and actions for sustainability in her municipality. They are working on Sustainable Mobility issues, promoting public space projects as triggers of economic activity, implementing green infrastructure that promotes the efficient use and management of water, and creating a circular economy centre.
For her part, Mariana Orozco, SEDATU’s Mobility Director, shared the 4S Mobility Plan (Healthy, Safe, Sustainable and Solidary) in which four strategies and several actions are promoted, through two guides and advice for municipalities.
To close the event, Quennet pointed out four key aspects for economic reactivation: coordination between different levels of government, cooperation between different sectors, sharing good local practices, and involving citizens. Rafael Cortés thanked GIZ Mexico for its contribution and cooperation, being one of the most active in promoting actions in the country’s municipalities.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the priorities for attention to the health emergency have been markedly reduced. Government efforts have also been redirected to protecting citizens and fighting against the health epidemic.
In an adjustment process, the municipalities’ focal points, national development banks, and federal ministries (Ministry of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Development – SEDATU, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources – SEMARNAT, Secretary of Treasury and Public Credit – SHCP) have continued preparing their projects.
With the support of FELICITY and key actors, the migration of face-to-face project preparation courses to digital workshops has been encouraged, so that sub-national public officials can continue their great efforts in the development of technical, financial, environmental, technological and social capacities.
Project promoters have also collaborated through platforms that facilitate training and remote communication for project preparation. Progress is being made in technical assistance from the cabinet, to prepare the procurement process and have the documentation required for the continuation of the project cycle.
A healthy collaboration between the parties involved has allowed the adjustment towards the implementation of the projects; however, the main challenges in the current context of COVID-19 increase the pressure on urban budgets.
Green recovery represents a potential opportunity to reduce budget spending by saving energy costs, but also to generate more quality jobs and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The continuity of these projects is particularly important in the current context of a health crisis that seeks economic recovery in the short term and green recovery in the medium term.
States and regions play a critical role in achieving green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. These jurisdictions are closest to the communities and have a great opportunity to link economic recovery measures with environmental considerations.
The Climate Footprint Project, which supports the governments of Baja California, Jalisco and Yucatan to improve their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and monitoring efforts, has recognized the importance of adapting to the current crisis. It seeks to demonstrate the importance of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems in providing the data that will allow state governments to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of climate actions. Furthermore, this will help to highlight one of the most important results we have been able to see so far: the mainstreaming of climate change.
In the face of travel restrictions and large group meetings, the project has reinvented itself to achieve its goals. A concrete example is the Jalisco experience, where a series of technical webinars have been developed with the different Ministries that form part of the mitigation group at the state’s Inter-Institutional Action Commission on Climate Change, as part of the capacity-building offered by the project. For one month – online – representatives from each Ministry have joined working groups to continue mainstreaming climate change in their entities.
Credits: The Climate Group. Webinar-Presentation System for monitoring climate actions at the sub-national level with GIZ (May 19).
Through interactive tools, the team facilitated work sessions to develop and identify mitigation actions and indicators that lead towards monitoring a future green recovery. Similar work will be done in the states of Yucatan and Baja California. In parallel, the “From Follow-up to Action” series of peer-to-peer forums will begin shortly, providing another opportunity for state governments to learn virtually.
Credits: The Climate Group. Virtual working group – Jalisco transport sector.
To provide a customized package of technical assistance and training for states to improve their capabilities and knowledge on Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems;
To align regional MRV systems with national and local efforts in order to promote integrated climate action through dialogs between national, state, regional and local governments, and align climate actions at all levels of government;
To promote knowledge exchange and the reproduction of good practices at an international level through case studies and peer forums, among others.
