NetZeroCities project experts in Guimarães

The municipality of Guimarães hosted the NetZeroCities consortium between last Thursday, October 10, and Saturday, October 12, a European project aimed at supporting cities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.

Over these three days, the group of experts – represented on site by David Brito and Georgia Cameron and remotely online by Jonathan González and Gabriela Uchoa – delivered and participated in several hybrid working sessions and local initiatives, with a highlight on the second Citizens’ Assembly of Bairro C. The work was carried out in conjunction with the Guimarães climate transition team, municipal technicians and the Landscape Laboratory team.

On the first day, during a session held at the Landscape Laboratory, the representatives from Guimarães shared their experiences on the work that has been carried out under the Mission of the 100 Cities, as well as the reinforcement that has been made in Guimarães in areas such as public policies and finance.

The work carried out in partnership with the private sector was also highlighted, namely through the Climate Pact, the calculation of the carbon footprint and the design of sustainability plans for some companies and sectors. Other instruments and innovation opportunities that can be used in this process of involvement and capacity building for the teams that have been working on the Mission of the 100 Cities were also discussed.

On Friday, October 11, the session was attended by members of 12 of the companies and entities that signed the Climate Pact, representing various sectors: mobility, construction, textiles, cutlery, among others. Throughout the morning, a roadmap was defined, with the aim of helping to assess the needs of organizations to achieve climate neutrality. It should be noted that this involvement strategy is based on good practices and success cases already implemented in other cities.

In the afternoon, students from schools in Guimarães had the opportunity to present some solutions for Bairro C to the working group, as part of the Bairro C – Carbon Zero Commitment project. On the morning of Saturday, October 12, attention returned to the area that has been a World Heritage Site for over a year, with the holding of the second session of the Bairro C Citizens’ Assembly. During this time, local residents were called upon to discuss and propose solutions in the areas of waste, circular economy, energy, and green areas and biodiversity. At this point, it should be noted that Bairro C is a pilot project that the municipality intends to be decarbonized by 2025.