BUENOS AIRES

In 2016, Buenos Aires committed to the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2017, the city became one of the first 25 in the world to make a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, aiming to reduce emissions significantly and offset the remaining emissions. 

To identify innovative, impactful, and effective solutions, Buenos Aires has been relying on the collective action of its citizens, civil society, organizations, academia, and the private sector. Therefore and as part of international commitments, the city decided to develop a key platform called BA Climate providing open data and visualizations of Buenos Aires’ goals and initiatives regarding climate change, offering opportunities for participation, collaboration, and cooperation to achieve a resilient, carbon-neutral, and inclusive city. 

Like Buenos Aires’ other sites BA Data and BA Obras, BA Climate Change was developed in open source. Any person or government can download the data and adapt it to the characteristics of their project or administration to build their own climate change site.

The Local4Action HUB Buenos Aires involves the development of an internationally recognized model site based on open data regarding climate change management in Buenos Aires called Carbon Neutral 2050 Platfom. Its goal is to collect evidence and showcase the efforts made by the government, non-state actors, and residents concerning climate change.. It  aims to share experiences between governments as an opportunity to extend data opening policies, without the need for large investments for the initial development of projects. 

As part of the initiative, the aim is to amplify the platform and its local impact on a global scale, expanding its reach across city networks. 

Expected outcomes

• Knowledge Sharing: Proactive approach that encourages knowledge sharing with other governments, fostering a broader network of shared experiences.
• Technical Assistance and Support: technical assistance and implementation support, aiding other regions in adopting similar platforms effectively.
• Enhanced Platform Development: Open source site for continuous improvement and the addition of new functionalities, benefiting the city and other users.
• Global Enrichment: Insights from global experiences.
• Co-Creation and Public Consultation: co-creation strategy involving key actors and civil society organizations, along with public consultation, ensures an inclusive approach.

Starting from the point that the platform is a local initiative within a global commitment, Carbon Neutrality by 2050 represents one of the commitments made by the City of Buenos Aires within the framework of the C40 organization that tackles SDG 13 as well as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 

Link to Agenda 2030

• SDG 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change)
• SDG 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
• SDG 17 – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Link to the UCLG Pact for the Future of Humanity 

• Commitments for People
  • C9 – Foster open, accessible and verifiable information and data to promote inclusion, education and communication. 
  • C10 – Respect for planetary health and the well-being of future generations.

• Commitments for Planet
  • C4 – Empower local communities to play a central role in protecting biodiversity, water, the environment and the planet and recreate local employment, optimise resources, to increase quality of life and protect the environment. 
  • C5 – Transition to renewable energy systems as a pressing priority to a more sustainable and just future. 
  • C10 – Identify mechanisms to redress the historically uneven distribution of environmental benefits and burdens and co-create resilience systems.

• Commitments for Government
  • C2 – Ensure transparent budgeting to facilitate balanced revenue generation and equitable pricing for all services and ensure that government policy balances the long-term needs of citizens and the planet.
  • C5 – Involve the scientific-community, civil society and local communities in the process of policy and decision making. 
  • C6 – Promote truthful independent and accountable information sources to combat the spread of misinformation which fuels polarization and a widening cultural divide, notably in the digital sphere and counter hate speech, threats and violence. 

Link to other Global Agendas

• Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 
• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030

Coming soon

• Local4Action HUB Buenos Aires Official website
• Local4Action HUB Buenos Aires Promotional video
• Read the flyer here.