Author and Institution:
Olinca Marino, Consultant
Outline:
The Mexico City Government has identified a number of strategic adaptive actions that need to be taken to react to climatic changes (GDF 2008). Short-term, extreme climate event-related actions include: implementation of a metropolitan hydrometeorological monitoring and forecasting system; microbasin management of urban ravines; assistance to people who are identified as specifically vulnerable to extreme climate events; epidemiological monitoring; protection and recovery of native crops; and remote detection and monitoring of forest fires during the dry season.
Actions for a medium-term response – which also encompass actions on mitigation of emissions – include: growth and improvement of public transportation and the transformation of vehicle technology; the efficient use of energy in buildings, industrial facilities, public lighting systems, water pumping systems, and homes; the exploitation of renewable energy sources; the rational use of water, as well as the reduction of waste generation and the promotion of an effective waste management system.
But such strategic actions require a sound evidence base, and also opportunities for discussion among relevant stakeholders. In order to support this, in 2008, a Virtual Centre on Climate Change was created (Centro Virtual de Cambio Climático de la Ciudad de México – CVCCCM). The rationale for the Centre was that it would provide not just evidence and advice to policymakers, but also help to inform broader society – always enabled by ICT-based networks and other digital tools (Conde et al. n.d.)
