Informes 

 

Cambio climático y gobiernos locales (Climate Change and Local Governments)

Declaración del programa Ciudades por la Protección del Clima (Cities for Climate Protection) del ICLEI (Gobiernos Locales por la Sustentabilidad). Se resume el impacto y la función de los gobiernos locales en el cambio climático.

 

There is growing global consensus among the world's scientists, national governments, and many business leaders that the rising accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere is impacting the global climate.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of over 2,500 of the world's climate scientists, is predicting that these impacts may include:

• elevated global average temperatures with a resulting disruption of natural systems
• changes in precipitation rates in many regions impacting on water supply and food production
• increase in the incidence and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods, blizzards, tornadoes, and droughts
• rise in sea level impacting on coastal areas and low-lying regions

Impact on Local Governments
Scientists also anticipate climate change to detrimentally affect cities and urban areas. Regional temperature rises will foster more smog. Changes in precipitation will adversely affect urban water supplies. An increase in extreme weather events will cause damage to urban infrastructure; and sea level rise will eventually inundate infrastructure and settlements in many coastal cities. Local governments, therefore, have plenty of reason to act to avoid the long-term local risks of climate change. They also have plenty of reason to act to realize the multiple benefits of cleaner and more efficient energy, including improved local air quality.

Role of Local Governments
Local governments, through their leadership and decision-making powers directly influence and control many of the activities that produce the emissions that cause global warming and air pollution.

Local governments own, operate, or influence:

• local government facilities and operations such as municipal buildings, street lighting, recreation facilities, wastewater treatment plants
• building codes and permits that determine the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings
• landfill sites and the production of methane emissions
• waste collection and management including recycling, compost or waste reduction programs
• land use planning and development that determine the density, mixture and physical layout of buildings, neighborhoods and communities
• transportation infrastructure that determines the transportation choices of residents and businesses, affecting the level and type of transportation energy consumed and the number and length of vehicle trips
• public works infrastructure such as water supply, sewage, and other public works

If there is to be success in addressing the issue of climate change, then the reduction of GHG emissions must also be addressed at the local level. Most of the measures utilized by local governments to reduce GHG emissions also address concerns that dominate most municipal agendas. The Cites for Climate Protection^TM (CCP) Campaign methodology results in local governments choosing GHG emissions reduction measures that bring such co-benefits as:

• financial savings through energy and fuel efficiency
• green space preservation
• local economic development and job creation through the demand for energy efficiency and new energy systems
• air pollution reduction
• traffic congestion improvements
• community livability improvement

 

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Fuente: ICLEI