The Colombian capital Bogota received the worldwide “Climate and City Leadership” award this Wednesday for innovation in public transport.
Mayor Gustavo Petro was on hand as Bogota became one of 10 cities honored in London Wednesday by C40, a working group comprised of 40 global metropolises with the purpose of devising policies to combat climate change.
Bogota won its award in the Urban Transport category in recognition of its Transmilenio and electric taxi initiatives, which established an extensive public transport system through the city and authorized the creation of the largest fully electric taxi fleet in South America, respectively.
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Speaking at the event, officials from the Bogota government told the audience that the city is poised to begin introducing electric and hybrid buses in much of the city, while Mayor Petro reaffirmed Bogota’s ongoing “commitment to life.”
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said of the various award recipients, “with the implementation of innovative local projects, these cities are having an impact on worldwide climate change.”
Petro suffers one of the lowest mayoral approval ratings in the country mainly because of the city’s apparent inability to solve long-standing public transport issues.
MORE: Gustavo Petro, Bogota’s Uncompromising Heavy Metal Mayor
Sources
- Bogota gana premio mundial de liderazgo en cambio climatico (El Espectador)