Iuc asia training

IUC Asia Training in Gwangju: Supporting Cities Committing to Energy and Climate Action Plan

IUC Asia Training, taking theme, “City Energy and Climate Action: How to Set Targets and Develop a Plan,” on March 16, 2018, Gwangju, South Korea.

IUC Asia once again supported cities in maintaining its commitment to implement their energy and climate action plan. After enlightening international delegates in the 9th World Urban Forum, IUC Asia focused its capacity building activity to local practitioners in South Korea. Taking theme “City Energy and Climate Action: How to Set Targets and Develop a Plan,” a one-day training event was held in conjunction with SWEET (Solar, Wind and Earth Energy Trade) Fair in Korea on March 16, 2018.

As reflected on the theme, the training activity put highlight on ten-key point city’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) needs to cover.

Pablo Gandara, representing IUC Asia, informed the ten points including political commitment, specific CO2 reduction objective, CO2 Baseline

Emission Inventory with Risks and Vulnerabilities Assessment (RVA), coherent set of measures covering key sectors of activity, strategies and actions until 2030 (included is translation into its short-term plans), mobilisation of municipal departments involved, engagement of all relevant stakeholders and empowerment of citizens, identification of key financing resources, monitoring and reporting, and SECAP submission.

Supporting to city’s commitment, IUC Asia engaged city of Tampere to share its climate action in reducing the CO2 emission. Ms. Elina Seppanen, Energy and Climate Specialist of Tampere, shared the city’s action plan which was started in 2010.

Elina Seppanen of Tampere in IUC Asia Training.

Heavily putting emphasis on partnerships with companies, universities, and research institutions, Tampere developed projects on energy, building and construction, and mobility by mixing city units and partners, as well as communicating about the city’s climate work to wider public. This effort made Tampere manage to gradually raise climate objectives: from 17 per cent reduction of GHG emissions to be achieved in 2017 (city strategy 2012), to 40 per cent scheduled to be achieved in 2025; and in 2050 Tampere will be a carbon neutral city. Becoming a member of Global Covenant of Mayors, Tampere sets a bolder objective: a carbon neutral Tampere in 2030. In implementing the action plan, the city has also developed a roadmap in climate action covering four key elements: 1) analysis of the current energy balance and emissions as well as their future development, 2) a wide array of actions in the city and their effects brought together in one place, 3) stakeholder involvement mostly for the sake of wide commitment to common goals, and 4) political commitment. The city of Tampere also shared key challenges the city has faced that is to focus on ways to make land-use, building and traffic systems sustainable, heating causing 1/3 of Tampere’s GHG emissions, and electricity consumption.

In that occasion, Gwangju also shared the city’s effort in climate action plan.

The host city is currently aiming at becoming model of low carbon city (around 66 per cent below BAU level). In pursuit of the target, the city has also developed projects promoting public transport use, green activities, and engaging the public. For the latter, the city has developed and disseminated

ten code of conducts for its local people (in close collaboration with International Climate and Environment Center/ICEC) covering practical advice such as to walk short distance, to pull out unused plugs at home, encouraging the use of disposable items, and bike usage. The city is targeting to be carbon free in 2020.

The event also presented a webinar (with support of Joint Research Centre/JRC) that introduces city’s practitioners to a tool for calculating emission reductions by sectors as well as development of targets and scenarios for CO2 emissions.

IUC Asia project implements the Regional Chapter of the Global Covenant of Mayors. UCLG ASPAC undertook its role as IUC Asia SupportDesk, the external face of the IUC Asia project and the side that reaches out cities in Asia. Supporting the event were various related stakeholders: Urban Environmental Accords, UN ECOSOC NGO Consultative Body – Local Sustainability Alliance of Korea, Korea Environment Institute, and Green Climate Fund. IUC Asia is part of the Global IUC Project for the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Attending the event, UCLG ASPAC also shared to other participating cities its organisation profile which covers urban issues in more diverse areas (women empowerment, public space, local economy development, etc.) and showcased its works relating to environment and energy sectors (waste management project implementation, public space establishment, module development on waste management best practice, and sanitation project).

All participants and speakers of IUC Asia Training in Gwangju, 16 March 2018.