We developed a step-by-step climate action guide with IDB

In 2022, Chile passed the Climate Change Framework Law requiring every region and municipality to develop a plan to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. But faced with the enormity of this task, where are regions and municipalities to start?

Working with the Inter American Development Bank, we developed Planning Climate Action in Cities and Region, a guide for local governments in Chile and beyond (available in Spanish here). The guide details how cities and towns can take immediate action to curb greenhouse gasses while developing a long-term action plan. This approach is critical for limiting the scale of the climate crisis.

The step-by-step guide includes resources for governments that don’t have climate action plans, as well as those that already do. The guide opens with resources to help local governments identify actions they can take after completing a self-assessment of climate risks and the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in their region. Then, it describes the transformations necessary for communities to adapt to climate risks, including heat waves, droughts, forest fires, and flooding, as well as reduce greenhouse gasses in six key sectors: energy, buildings, transportation, forests and nature, agri-food, and waste.

Each transformation is supported by a set of potential actions along with information about factors that enable action, potential barriers, and examples of projects underway in Chile. The guide also offers strategies for implementation, identifying funding sources, and outlines Chilean laws that enable local governments to act. 

Heat waves, droughts, forest fires, and inland and coastal flooding are the most prevalent climate hazards in Chile. This figure from the guide details transformations that address each of these hazards.

This figure from the guide details the transformations required for decreasing emissions in six key sectors: energy, buildings, transportation, forests and nature, agri-food, and waste.

This figure from chapter 1 in the guide illustrates actions that municipal or regional governments (and sometimes both!) can take to improve energy efficiency and prepare for heat waves.

To download the guide, visit the Inter American Development Bank website.