Portoviejo takes action to combat climate change

CAF-development bank of Latin America- presented a project titled “Environmental and territorial studies for sustainable development of the city of Portoviejo” (Manabí province), which will produce a climate assessment of the municipality of Portoviejo in order to determine present and future vulnerabilities of the area and to facilitate proper urban planning.

The aspects to be analyzed include growth of the urban footprint, climate vulnerability and risk of the territory by zones, to help increase resilience of the city in case of extreme hydroclimatological events. Additionally, a GHG inventory of the territory will be prepared, and its dynamics will be analyzed based on past, present and future trends. 

During the presentation of the initiative, the Vice-Mayor of Portoviejo, Carlos Vásquez, stressed the importance of the studies to be carried out in supporting urban development of the city, and said that the local government is well aware of the impact of climate change on a city like Portoviejo, and the measures that need to be taken to deal with this reality. He also thanked CAF and the French Development Agency for their support in the studies, and the consulting team (Factor, CIIFEN, New York University), which has established a clear methodology and expected results.

Furthermore, CAF representative in Ecuador Bernardo Requena said that the study will benefit the population of Portoviejo, identifying and prioritizing specific climate change adaptation measures based on climate vulnerability and risk analysis by zones, including economic, social and environmental aspects, as well as a sectoral analysis, in such a way that leads to increasing resilience of the Portoviejo region in case of extreme climate events. Thus, we will be able to access international funds as part of climate financing with subsequent economic benefits, ensuring competitiveness and growth for the canton.

This initiative is part of the LAIF project (Latin America Investment Facility), developed by CAF and the French Development Agency (AFD), an initiative that aims to promote low carbon, climate-change resilient development in the cities of the region. The initiative also aims to integrate climate issues more efficiently into the project funding process, increase awareness of local authorities on climate change and identify and fund urban projects with climate-related added benefits in countries of the region.

LAIF is an initiative of the European Union which aims to support Latin American countries in financing necessary infrastructure to face the challenges of increasing competitiveness in the global market, building growth capacities and reducing poverty levels.