SEPT. 5, 2019

Platform launched for people to commit to specific measures to address climate change in the context of COP25

The “www.porelclima.cl” website is a platform where individuals, organizations, companies and public entities can select specific measures that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition to the platform, a competition has been launched with prizes totaling 500 million Chilean pesos.

One of the biggest challenges facing COP 25, due to take place in Santiago in December, will be to bring this important international event closer to the community, to help people to understand the challenges posed by climate change and make a commitment to real actions that will benefit the environment.

This is why the COP organization in Chile, together with the Environment and Energy ministries and the Energy Sustainability Agency have developed an official platform for citizen participation motivated by this event: www.porelclima.cl.

The event to launch the site was attended by Energy Minister Juan Carlos Jobet, Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt, the Executive Director of the Energy Sustainability Agency, Ignacio Santelices, along with some 50 people from companies and civil society committed to contributing to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the energy sector, and other aspects of sustainability, all of which are key to combating climate change.

This website enables individuals, companies, organizations and public entities to create a profile and commit to specific actions within the following categories: energy, water, consumption and investment, carbon footprint, mobility, waste prevention and management, and adaptation. The following are among the hundreds of actions: showering for less time, using fewer disposable products, choosing LED light bulbs, calculating and reducing my carbon footprint, using public transport instead of the car and avoiding using plastic bags.

Furthermore, the website will include the schedule of activities taking place throughout Chile during the months leading up to COP25, and publish national news regarding this event.

The objective is to motivate people to take specific actions to address climate change. Subsequently, people who have made commitments will receive a diploma to acknowledge this, which they can share on social networks, along with each action they have committed to.

"Stories" can be uploaded to the platform that report progress, both individually and within the community, with resources such as videos and photos.

Finally, the website has an area with resources and tools where people can find out more and download content that contributes to the knowledge of members of the community.

 

Competition prizes totaling 500 million Chilean pesos

The Energy Ministry and the Energy Sustainability Agency is set to launch a 500 million peso fund on the platform, within the framework of the Programa Comuna Energética (Neighborhood Energy Program). This fund will be used to finance local energy efficiency (EE), renewable energy (RE) and sustainable mobility projects at two levels (more information at www.comunaenergetica.cl):

a) Energy Community Competition: 100 million Chilean pesos are available for citizen initiatives with co-finance of up to 5 million pesos per project. Individuals and organized community groups can apply, such as neighborhood councils, sports clubs, parents groups, environmental groups, trade associations, and other groups.

b) Local Energy Investment Competition: 400 million pesos is available in amounts of up to 45 million pesos per project as co-financing to cover 50% of the total cost of the initiative, with the remaining 50% being covered by private finance. Municipalities can apply in association with private companies to develop a specific project that generates benefits for the local community.

Energy Minister Juan Carlos Jobet remarked, "former President Kennedy said, ‘ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.’ Climate change is threatening us with fires, droughts and floods, so we need to ask ourselves 'what are we doing to care for our planet?' This citizen platform is a good opportunity to commit to specific measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and change the behavior and lifestyle of people and the whole community. Climate change is not just the responsibility of governments but of each and every one of us. This is an opportunity to show our children that we don't want them to inherit a sick planet.”

Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt added, "COP Chile is a unique opportunity to involve and motivate people to address climate change and this platform will help each of us to commit to specific measures to reduce our emissions. Climate change is a reality and we all need to work together to address it.”

Meanwhile, Ignacio Santelices explained that through the www.porelclima.cl platform "we want to create awareness that the sum of individual measures can create significant changes for the benefit of everyone. We want to increase the visibility of this opportunity for individuals, companies and public and private organizations to act to address climate change, which will also improve our quality of life and our productivity, particularly through energy efficiency and renewable energy.”