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. 
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Santiago, Chile
-33.448362
-70.664524
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Bogotá, Colombia
4.709876
-74.085156
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Lima, Peru
-12.044266
-77.033601
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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

Bolivia
Green cities
06.09.2024
Sustainable Mobility in Latin American Cities
This International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, we highlight our contribution to sustainable cities and communities (Sustainable Development Goal 11). Swisscontact leads innovative initiatives in Latin America to promote sustainable urban mobility. We work closely with local communities, governments and businesses to implement solutions that improve the quality of life in cities, reduce traffic jams and lower carbon emissions. Our focus on sustainable mobility is key to addressing today's urban challenges and building more liveable, equitable and environmentally friendly cities across the region. 
Colombia, Peru, Chile, Mexico
Green cities
06.02.2024
Transforming Public Transport in Bogotá with electric buses and women empowerment
La Rolita is revolutionising the public transport in Bogotá through the use of 195 electric buses. The Climate and Clean Air Programme (CALAC+) shares examples like this with representatives of the transport sector in Latin America.
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.