The WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) together with the C40 network, UK Pact and Minambiente selected two Medellín Futuro projects to assess needs in energy innovation and greenhouse gas (GHG) removal technology. The strategy, developed by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), seeks to finance climate change mitigation initiatives in developing countries through its International Climate Finance (ICF) fund.
Both projects met the requirements to recieve this technical support that will mitigate climate change. A new step towards turning Medellín into an Ecocity, where the environment is in harmony with the citizens.
Medellín was selected by the British government to assess the city’s needs for energy innovation and greenhouse gas (GHG) removal technology. The strategy, advanced by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), seeks to finance climate change mitigation initiatives in developing countries, through its International Climate Finance (ICF) fund.
For this purpose, the projects for the 80th Avenue Metro and the Bicycle path networks were identified, both in their implementation and with high potential to reduce GHG emissions. In addition, support was received for the city’s report on RENARE, a platform to record the reductions of these gases in Colombia..
The initiatives were selected from an inventory that included the Urban Protected Air Zone (ZUAP), the river TRT lane (truck rapid transit), Line Z (a line of electric buses that connect to the José María Córdova airport), a section of the North-South bicycle, electric taxis, and others.
The process began with the construction of a prioritization matrix that took notice of the project’s importance for the city, it’s potencial to mitigate greenhouse gases, it’s expected benefits and the gender impact, all from a theoretical point of view and according to international experiences.
The Secretary of Enviroment, Juliana Colorado, emphasized that, through these international actions “we’re continuing to bluntly move towards the development of a coherent and sustainable city with the challenges brought by the XXI century, commited to the Paris, and aware that the planet’s well-being is the biggest challege of our society and protecting it, is fundamental for all forms of life”.
It is expected that with this exercise of international, local and regional technical cooperation, pollutant emitions are reduced, and premature deaths will be reduced by promoting physical activity and safe, accessible and well-lit spaces, so that the Ecocity strategy of the Medellín Futuro Development Plan and the goal of being a Carbon Neutral city by 2050 maintains its impact on citizen’s quality of life.
Finally, the executive director of the ACI Medellín, Eleonora Betancur, mentions that “Medellín, with its Development Plan, has become a model for many cities in the region and the world thanks to its firm commitment to the environment. Belonging and having a leadership in the C40 network and now, being selected for the BEIS with these projects, shows that we have a growing responsibility to meet the world’s commitments in the Paris Agreement and to contribute to saving the planet”.
The densification of the cycle network includes the implementation of 40 kilometers of length with cycle-infrastructure, mostly segregated, to consolidate corridor sections that allow expanding and connecting the existing urban and metropolitan network.
In turn, the 80th Anevue Metro is a strategic project for sustainable mobility, urban transformation and public space, that will connect the west area of Medellín through light rail train technology, that will contribute to betting citizen’s quality of life.
BEIS International Climate Finance (ICF) is a commitment by the UK Government to help developing countries respond to the challenges and opportunities of climate change.
As part of this commitment, BEIS will provide at least $ 7.5 billion from ICF by 2021, aiming to achieve a fair divide between mitigation and adaptation, positioning the UK among the world’s leading providers of climate finance.