Three Mexican Cities Vie for Environmental Honors

laht.com

MEXICO CITY – Mexico will be represented by Hermosillo, Puebla and Toluca in the final round of the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour City Challenge, which recognizes urban centers for striving to stem climate change and promoting a sustainable future, the WWF announced.

Those cities were selected based on their actions and commitments regarding street lighting, sustainable mobility, recycling and waste disposal, WWF said in a statement.

This year the contest involved 163 cities in 16 countries.

The three Mexican cities are among 43 finalists to be evaluated by an independent international jury that will select one city from each participating country to compete for the title of 2015 Global Earth Hour Capital.

The award will be presented during the April 8-12 World Congress of the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability organization in Seoul, South Korea.

Among the 43 finalists are Sao Paulo, Paris, Cali, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Vancouver and Seoul, the WWF said.

“Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time,” Vanessa Perez-Cirera, director of Climate Change and Energy for WWF-Mexico, said in a press conference.

More than 70 percent of greenhouse gases are emitted by cities and more than 70 percent of humans are expected to live in urban centers before 2050, she said.