Climate and Clean Air project in Latin American Cities Plus (CALAC+)

The Programme Climate and Clean Air in Latin American Cities (CALAC+) pursues a vision of healthier cities that reduce their emissions of short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon, atmospheric gases and greenhouse gases, by promoting a shift towards soot-free and low-carbon urban buses and off-road machinery. 
invalid
Santiago, Chile
-33.448362
-70.664524
invalid
Bogotá, Colombia
4.709876
-74.085156
invalid
Lima, Peru
-12.044266
-77.033601
invalid
Mexico City, Mexico
19.433035
-99.133691
Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru
Project duration
2021 - 2025
Financed by
  • Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC

The project

The Paris Climate Agreement adopted in December 2015 provides a clear signal from countries towards reducing emissions and build resilience to climate change impacts within the transport sector.

Thanks to its management and technical expertise, Switzerland contributes significantly to the transformation of cleaner transport in Latin American cities, to achieve the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants such as black coal and greenhouse gas emissions, promoting the transfer of knowledge and experience with a North-South and South-South regional and international cooperation approach.

Objective

The overall objective of CALAC+ is to reduce harmful air pollutants in Latin American capitals through the deployment of soot-free engines in urban public transport and off-road machinery to protect human health and mitigate climate change.

The program's overall objective for a second phase is to reduce harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in major Latin American cities by deploying clean soot-free engine technologies and other pollutants in urban public transport and non-road mobile machinery to protect human health and mitigate climate change.

The project pursues a vision of healthier and more sustainable cities that seek to reduce emissions of black carbon and other pollutants by encouraging a shift to soot-free, low-carbon city buses and off-road machinery

Cleaner transport

Ensure that emissions of ultrafine particulate matter, black carbon and greenhouse gases from urban public transport systems are significantly and sustainably reduced through technical assistance. Support to improve legal frameworks, environmental and transport regulations (at municipal and national levels), investment planning and institutional capacity building by creating conducive conditions to the establishment of soot-free and low-carbon technologies.

Public policy incubator for off-road mobile machinery

Support the development of intelligent policies for a significant reduction of ultrafine particles, black carbon and greenhouse gases from off-road urban machinery (construction and industry sectors), emissions that are not yet regulated in Latin America, but which contribute strongly to poor air quality, negative impacts on human health and climate change.

Regional and global cooperation

The experience generated by the program on policies, actions and sustainable technologies, good practices and successful lessons learned, are disseminated regionally and globally, and are posted on existing networks and platforms, such as the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Pacific Alliance; in this way the regional experts are linked with other decision makers and the academic sector.

 

Expected results 2021-2025

  • Cleaner urban transport: Emissions of ultrafine particles, air pollutants and greenhouse gases from the public transport system are significantly and sustainably reduced. The plans and measures supported by the project result in the introduction of cleaner buses in the cities, which contributes to the goals of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), Long Term Strategies (LTS) and decontamination plans.
  • Public policies incubator for nonroad mobile machinery (NRMM): Transfer capacities and successful experiences to consolidate the development of a regulatory framework in the countries for the incorporation of construction machinery in urban areas that reduce gaseous and particulate emissions, as well as GHGs through the introduction of electric or low-emission technology. The regulatory framework on NRMM makes the sector visible and establishes the enabling conditions for the introduction of less emission-intensive construction machinery.
  • Regional and global cooperation: Validated efficient technologies, policies and actions are systematised and shared for scaling up regionally and globally. The experience generated by the program on cost-effective policies, actions and technologies, good practices and successful lessons learned are disseminated regionally and globally and scaled up through existing networks and platforms, such as the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Pacific Alliance; and experts from the Region are linked with other decision makers and actors of the academia.

Project links

News

Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Chile
Green cities
10.10.2023
Using tools and policies to combat air pollution and safeguard global public health
For 3 consecutive years, 2021-2023, CALAC+ has supported the Lugano Summer School in Public Health Policy, Economics and Management (SSPH+) by sharing its strategies for improving air quality to protect human health.
20.09.2023
The human face of climate crisis
It was a goose-bump moment in June 2023, at an international academic conference in Nairobi, when a participant told his mother’s story. A Maasai community member, she had been the owner of 115 head of cattle until November last year; 103 of the animals have since died. The backbone of the family’s income has vanished, the grief over the loss is overwhelming, and the pride of the former herd owner is hurt.
Mexico, Chile, Peru, Colombia
Green cities
20.09.2023
Advancing heavy machinery regulation to improve air quality and mitigate climate change
Heavy machinery used in the construction industry and in agriculture emits pollutants that harm the health of people and the environment. Swisscontact is contributing to the development of regulatory frameworks that improve air quality in Latin American cities and mitigate climate change.