“Given the global importance of being increasingly better prepared to face the consequences of climate change, in just over a year the City of Mérida has carried out actions aimed at achieving a more sustainable environment, which have a direct impact on improving the quality of life of all Meridians”, assured the mayor Renán Barrera Concha.
He added that, in accordance with the commitment expressed last year before councilors from around the world during the International Conference on Climate Action (ICCA2019) that took place in Germany, the City Council included and gives special importance to the actions of urban mobility and sustainable development in Mérida.
“Climate change is an issue that cannot wait and that is why from that international forum we invited councilors on that occasion to label resources to reverse its consequences,” the mayor added. In Mérida, we make extraordinary efforts not to stop these actions, even now, despite having an adverse economic outlook.
The mayor, who chairs the Board of Directors of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), highlighted the coordinated work carried out with the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development (GIZ) in the implementation of programs and measures to improve the environment.
—For our administration, the environmental issue has been a priority from the beginning and that is why we implemented public policies that have brought us good results, such as tax incentives for the use of clean energy in homes and the installation of solar panels in municipal buildings, ”he recalled.
He stressed that the City Council’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change even transcend issues within its scope, such as urban transport, which is the main emitter of greenhouse gases.
He recalled that according to the report of the first inventory of greenhouse gas emissions for Mérida, transportation is the sector that generates the most gases of this type, with 69%, followed by the energy sector, with 19% and waste, with 12%.
“Although the concession of public transport is not a municipal responsibility, the City Council has a fundamental contribution through urban planning and street design, infrastructure adaptation to promote sustainable urban mobility,” he added.
Finally, the mayor pointed out that with the Comprehensive Plan for Sustainable Urban Mobility, the City Council strongly promote the use of non-motorized transport.
