Climate planning and local goverment: actors and climate change measures

Abstract

Urban development based on anthropogenic systems led to evident urban transformations on a global and local scale. Climate change is the product of these transformations, characterized by weather patterns and ecological systems alterations. These alterations cause impacts on urban dynamics, which generate severe social consequences. It becomes imperative to assume the inevitability of the climate phenomenon and adopt a new management model with adaptation and mitigation actions. The research addresses the climatic phenomenon in Ecuador, specifically in the urban area of Riobamba, emphasizing its planning instruments. The objective is to recognize the scope of local instruments and plans related to climate change and to identify actors involved through a map of actors according to their level of engagement and support for climate change action. The research contemplates a descriptive methodology with a qualitative approach using theoretical and argumentative techniques. The research considers documentary and fieldwork through methods such as documentary analysis, unstructured observation, in-depth interviews with strategic actors, case studies, and self-completed perception surveys of available subjects, corresponding to an exploratory and descriptive level. The results show that the local government did not consider initiatives aimed at climate planning and, despite programs and projects that seek to solve environmental problems, they need to be developed in detail or linked as measures against climate change.