The Deputy Mayor and Municipal Secretary of the Environment of Belo Horizonte, Délio Malheiros, received the title of National Capital of Earth Hour on behalf of the Minas Gerais capital, in Seoul (South Korea), during the ICLEI World Congress, a partner of WWF in the initiative. The award is part of the Cities Challenge competition, promoted by the WWF Network to recognize the efforts of the urban environment towards a low-carbon economy.

The Mayor of Belo Horizonte, Márcio Lacerda (pictured), also represented the initiative, receiving the Cities Challenge certificate from Bruna Cerqueira (pictured), Policy and Strategy Manager of the [organization/organization name]. ICLEI South America, during the III Meeting of Municipalities for Sustainable Development. The Mayor also He became the new President of the National Front of Mayors., responsible for the 3rd Meeting.

Belo Horizonte competed for the national title with nine other municipalities, which reported their data and actions on adaptation and mitigation of climate change in the... Climate Carbon Registryn, a platform managed by ICLEI, in conjunction with the C40 and UCLG groups. Betim (MG), Campo Grande (MS), Fortaleza (CE), Maceió (AL), Manaus (AM), Porto Alegre (RS) and Recife (PE) were in the first phase. São Paulo (SP) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ) reached the final again, with Rio de Janeiro receiving an honorable mention from the jury of 13 international experts, evaluated by Accenture, an independent third-party consulting firm.

Among the highlights that led the capital of Minas Gerais to this achievement, the jury was impressed by the results achieved despite the relatively low budget available. Recognized as the solar capital of the country, Belo Horizonte implemented innovative actions, such as the installation of solar energy capture panels on the roof of Mineirão, the stadium that hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The biogas program also scored many points in its favor.

For its efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, through the expansion of subway networks, bike paths, and BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), Rio de Janeiro was awarded an honorable mention certificate by the jury. São Paulo, on the other hand, earned its place in the final thanks to its efforts in generating biogas from landfill waste and regulations guaranteeing solar water heating in new buildings.

“There are no limits to the challenges we face in combating climate change and preserving the planet’s natural systems and resources. Cities have an important role to play in putting the world on the path to sustainable development fueled by renewable energy,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International.

Today, more than 501 TPPs of the global population live in cities, and they are responsible for emitting more than 701 TPPs of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. At the same time, it is in the urban environment where the resources and technologies to curb this process are located.

The city of Seoul (South Korea) takes the global title.

In the 2014/2015 edition, 17 countries entered the competition, and the host of the Congress, Seoul, celebrated the title of Global Capital, a kind of final among the winners from each nation. The other competitors were: Belo Horizonte (Brazil); Córdoba (Spain); Evanston (United States); Gothenburg (Sweden); Hatyai (Thailand); Jakarta (Indonesia); Lahti (Finland); Montería (Colombia); Paris (France); Petaling Jaya (Malaysia); Puebla (Mexico); City of Singapore (Singapore); Thane (India); Tshwane (South Africa) and Vancouver (Canada).

About ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability

ICLEI is the world's leading association of local governments dedicated to sustainable development. ICLEI promotes local action for global sustainability and supports cities in becoming sustainable, resilient, resource-efficient, biodiverse, and low-carbon; building smart infrastructure and developing a green and inclusive urban economy with the ultimate goal of achieving happy and healthy communities. ICLEI's mission is to build and serve a global movement of local governments to achieve tangible improvements in global sustainability, with particular attention to environmental conditions, through cumulative action. To learn more, visit [website address - not provided in the original text]. www.iclei.org/sams

Source: WWF-Brazil