Global Partnerships – Working together for breathable cities in Mexico and India

Jueves 14 de octubre

Air pollution is one of the most challenging environmental issues of emerging economies, especially in big cities. In Mexico and India, urbanization, and economic growth lead to increasing emissions. The primary sources are vehicles, power plants, usage of fuels for cooking, burning of waste and crop residue, industrial emissions, and construction work.  Poor air quality has severe consequences on people’s health. In 2020, at least 15,000 deaths in Mexico City and 54,000 in New Delhi can be attributed to air pollution.

As a driving factor for global climate change, air pollution is a global issue and cannot only be looked at on national level. Furthermore, by adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community has expressed its conviction that global challenges can only be resolved by working together. One concrete example on how countries are cooperating to solve these global issues is the first triangular cooperation between Mexico, India, and Germany on improving air quality in cities, involving two emerging economies and aiming at strengthened global partnerships and mutual learning.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project “Triangular cooperation between Germany, Mexico and India: Improving air quality in cities” promotes the exchange of experience between Germany, Mexico and India by means of webinars, meetings as well as a “Community of Practice” and details out technical solutions through national and international experts. The results and lessons learned from the Guanajuato region in Mexico, together with experiences and recommendations from European cities, will be transferred to the Bhubaneswar and Cuttack cities in India. The aim is to reduce air pollution by 20 to 30 % in the medium term in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible.

In this event, we would like to shed light on this triangular cooperation as an “Innovation for Future” for strengthening knowledge exchange between emerging economies on pressing environmental issues and discuss lessons learnt as well as possibilities for scaling up.

Language: English

Date:

14th October 2021

2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CET) / 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (Mexico City)