2030 CHAPALA Climate Action Plan Capstone Studio Master of Science in City and Regional Planning

2030 CHAPALA Climate Action Plan Capstone Studio Master of Science in City and Regional Planning Client: Municipality of Chapala in Jalisco State, Mexico Georgia Tech Faculty Advisor: Timothy Welch University of Guadalajara Advisor: Juan Ángel Demerutis Arenas Authored By: Melanie Dieg, Dorraine Duncan, Symone Howard, Maggie Kelley, Alex Morrison, Pooja Rao, and Ali Yildirim The climate action research presented in this study is the result of a request for technical assistance from the City of Chapala. The work was made possible through the support of Chapala city planners and in collaboration with the University of Guadalajara, in an effort to forge a collaborative relationship between the states of Georgia and Jalisco. Contents Introduction Page 4 Background Page 5 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Page 7 Vulnerability Analysis Page 14 2030 Climate Actions Page 15 Eco-City Page 17 City in a Garden Page 27 Community-Resiliency Page 34 Financial Mechanisms Page 42 Appendices Page 44 3 Introduction Given evidence of the Earth’s warming trends, cities worldwide have undertaken mitigation and adaptation strategies to deal with climate change. Climate Action Plans (CAPs) are primarily used to identify relevant opportunities to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG). More recently, these plans have also proposed adaptation initiatives that acknowledge the certainty of climate change, and aim to prepare cities and their people to be more resilient. CAPs are region specific and are inextricably linked to local characteristics of the city, its infrastructure, its governance capacity, and its residents. The City of Chapala, Mexico, recognizing its particular vulnerabilities to climate change, has elected to create a Climate Action Plan for its municipal area. With assistance from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Guadalajara, a Climate Action Plan was created during the Spring 2018 semester in accordance with each schools’ studio requirement. This report consists of our work as the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Master’s School of City and Regional planning studio, and includes original findings including: a baseline GHG Inventory and forecast, emission targets, and recommended policy packages. While many Climate Action Plans focus on outlining single policies, our scenarios of packaged policies represent an opportunity to capture the interconnectedness of climate action planning efforts. Additionally, our scenario approach intends to build upon the policy efforts proposed in a municipal climate action plan for Chapala completed in 2017, many of which are difficult to feaibly implement. Between March 17th and 25th of 2018, our studio travelled to both Guadalajara and Chapala to meet with university staff and students, Chapala municipal government, and various stakeholders within the community. A small public presentation was given and feedback solicited from attendees, who represented government, industry, and community stakeholders. The trip provided necessary insight into the local context of the City, its people and the environment and initiated partnerships that were instrumental in completing this document. It is our hope that the Municipality of Chapala uses this document as a playbook, from which various combinations of policies can be utilised to achieve the same outcome. Flexibility and the ability to adjust policy directions is essential, if long-term climate resilience is to be achieved. 4 Background As of 2015, Mexico was the 12th leading contributor to carbon monoxide emissions globally. Recognizing their role in reducing global climate change, Mexico has set aggressive targets to bring their emissions in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement standards. In 2015, Mexico was the first developing country to submit its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outlining the country’s plans for post 2020 climate action.1 The country set two GHG emission reduction targets: an unconditional target to reduce GHG emissions by 22% below the baseline by 2030, and a conditional target to reduce GHG emissions by up to 36% below the baseline by 2030. The unconditional target can be achieved by Mexico in current conditions, while the conditional target will require additional support, financing, etc. to be met. Previously in 2012, Mexico was one of the first countries to pass comprehensive climate change legislation within its national policy. The legislation includes a general law, a special program on climate change, and a national strategy on climate change.1 The General Law on Climate Change (GLCC) is the primary federal tool for creating climate change policy in Mexico, through the creation of three main bodies and the coordination of numerous branches of government. The law has three stated goals: to reduce national GHG emissions by 30% by 2020, to source 35% of Mexico’s energy from renewable sources by 2024, and with 2000 as a baseline, to reach a 50% reduction of GHG emissions by 2050.2 The Role of Jalisco in Climate Action: The GLCC also requires individual state climate programs. Jalisco state, where Chapala is located, is a local leader within climate change action. In accordance with the National Climate Change Strategy, Jalisco has goals to reduce emissions 30% by 2030 and 50% by 2050.3 Jalisco is the fourth most populous state in Mexico and one of the most important economic actors in Mexico.3 Specifically, Jalisco’s agricultural sector leads Mexico in corn, milk, eggs, and pork production. The agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, as climate disruption can have effects such as reduced rainfall and soil moisture, extreme temperature increase and intensity of rainfall, crop failures, increased pollution, and increased presence of natural disasters.3 1 Altramirano et al. (2016). Achieving Mexico’s Climate Goals: An Eight-Point Action Plan. WRI. http://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WRI_OCN_Mexico_final.pdf 2 Mexico Climate Action Tracker. (2015). Climate Action Tracker. https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/mexico/ 5 3 The State of Jalisco. (nd), The Climate Group. https://www.theclimategroup.org/partner/state-jalisco In response, the state is taking part in several climate action programs. The Jalisco state government is one of the two state governments chosen to take part in the Low Carbon State Program, which involves reducing carbon emissions within public buildings and vehicle fleets. The goal of the program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to electricity and fuel consumption by 40% in 2018. Additionally, in working with Swisscontact in a project funded by the Swiss Development Agency, Jalisco is working to reduce black carbon emissions from the brick sector by promoting energy efficiency and technological improvements. In 2014, construction began on the 3rd line of the electric train system in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, which aims to reduce the circulation of 10,000 vehicles. Additionally in 2014, the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area inaugurated the first phase of bike share systems in two municipalities. Finally, to promote the capture of methane from animal waste in rural areas, 73 biodigesters in small or medium sized farms were installed as part of a pilot study.3 Role of Cities in Climate Action: With more than half of the world’s population living in cities, and a projection of two-thirds living in cities by 2050, cities are critical in addressing climate change. Despite the strides that both Mexico and Jalisco state have taken towards reducing climate change, action at the city level is still imperative. With an expected increase of residents to cities like Chapala in the coming decades, it is imperative that the policies, practices, design, and mindset be focused towards mitigation of energy use and adaptation to climate scenarios taking place. 6 GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION INVENTORY 7 7 Introduction Prosperity in the municipality of Chapala is strongly dependent on the environment. As such, the municipality has moved to take a leadership role for municipalities in the region on the issue of climate change, as this represents a grave environmental challenge going forward. The first step in this fight will be the establishment of municipal emissions reduction goals met through mitigation activities that reduce the production of greenhouse gases. The fruits of this labor will be seen over the next 50 years, so it is essential that the municipality have a benchmark to measure progress against as it progresses through the implementation of this plan. In keeping with Mexico’s international commitments and national climate plan, the emissions targets for Chapala’s climate action plan will focus on achieving an overall reduction of 22% by 2030, and a 50% reduction by 2050 using a 2010 emissions baseline. This report measures the proportion of emissions that each sector contributes to total municipal emissions in order to inform proposed mitigation activities. After a few years of consistent reporting and tracking of emissions, the municipality can identify where actions are lacking and adjust appropriately in addition to creating a detailed record of historical emissions. SECTOR EMISSIONS SCOPE Scope 2 Stationary Energy (Emissions from grid-supplied electricity) Scope 1 Transportation (Emissions from sources within the municipal boundary) Scope 3 Waste (Emissions outside municipal boundary as a result of activities in the city) Not Estimated

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