ULS contributes to decision-making for the environmental emergency in the region

One of the main objectives of the Special Technical Commission for Climate and Environmental Emergency is to address the challenges of the sustainability of the territory and reduce CO2 emissions in the Coquimbo Region, through the development and execution of various initiatives, which seek to achieve carbon neutrality.

Within the framework of the formation of the Special Technical Commission for Climate and Environmental Emergency (COTECMA) of the Coquimbo Region, an activity was carried out in which the academic from the Department of Industrial Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the ULS participated and member of the Analytics and Big Data team for the Strategic and Sustainable Management of the Company, Dr. César Espíndola, who presented to the members of the Commission, and Governor of the Coquimbo Region, Krist Naranjo, the book “Huella de Carbon: Climate Change, Sustainable Management and Energy Efficiency.”

On the occasion, the topic of “National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and the challenge of Carbon Neutrality for the Coquimbo Region” was addressed and the members of the Commission, scientists, specialists, social organizations (dedicated to caring for the environment environment) shared a space for reflection and discussion around five axes: Territorial Planning, the Water and Climate Emergency; Biodiversity, impacts and risks and Human component, participation, education, identity and heritage; and Resource Sustainability.

The generation of this space for dialogue is essential to comply with the Climate and Environmental Emergency Decree, which will allow the design of a strategy to implement in the Coquimbo Region.

In the activity, Dr. César Espíndola referred to the work he has been developing for more than ten years and the publication of the book, which was born from the line of research he developed a few years ago in his doctoral thesis. This book addresses the issue of the Carbon Footprint and places emphasis on gas emissions inventories, the greenhouse effect, and the concept of Carbon Neutrality.

In relation to the importance of this initiative, the academic from the ULS Department of Industrial Engineering stressed that “the knowledge that we discuss and generate at the University with public decision-making spaces is fundamental, it is part of the mission that corresponds to us as academics of the state university of the region, especially when we see a genuine interest from the authorities to find answers in science and the bases to build effective solutions to the climate and environmental emergency.”

Regarding COTECMA's work with the community, Dr. César Espíndola indicated that “carbon neutrality requires the work of the entire population, elements of education, reduction of our consumption of fossil fuels, a culture of efficiency in the use of energy. energy, carrying out actions to reduce emissions, actions to compensate and remove emissions.”

During the day, the Commission also presented the “Water Perspectives in the context of global change” by Dr. Pablo Álvarez Latorre, academic of the Department of Agronomy of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of La Serena, who is also part of COTECMA.

Written by María José Barraza, FIULS