Colombia’s capital is recognized as one of the most important Latin American cities in environmental management, according to the Latin American Green City Index.
The study, from The Economist Intelligence Unit and Siemens, evaluated the environmental performance of 17 cities in eight categories.
“Siemens sponsored the study because it wants to raise awareness on the crucial role of environmental protection in cities to combat climate change,” said Katarina Steinwachs, Regional Manager of Corporate Communication and Government Affairs of Siemens.
Bogota scored “above average” in the categories of energy and CO2 emission, land use and building, transportation, waste, water and environmental governance, however in the categories air quality and sanitation, the capital’s scores were lower.
Bogota’s transportation system was praised for its “comprehensive policy for urban mass transit, exclusive lanes for buses and measures taken to reduce emission.”
According to Jason Summer, editor of the index, “it is important to remember that the index compares the cities with each other, and does not measure them according to an absolute standard of development. So Botoga is doing considerably well in mass transportation compared to other cities.”
Curitiba, one of the five Brazilian cities that are part of the Index, received the best rating while Antioquia’s capital Medellin scored “average.”