Vélez-Málaga town hall invites citizens to comment on climate strategy

The project will include various lines of action relating to energy efficiency, urban sustainability, emissions mitigation and the conservation of natural resources. In addition, the town hall has announced the launch of a participatory process to gather proposals and contributions from residents, community groups and social organisations within the municipality.

The mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, said that the drafting of this document “represents an important step in municipal planning to continue adapting to current and future environmental challenges”. The mayor stated that the process will be carried out “in a responsible and rigorous manner, with the well-being of local residents in mind”.

Lupiáñez also highlighted the importance of involving the public in drawing up the plan. “Building a more sustainable municipality requires listening to, involving and taking on board the contributions of all social, economic and neighbourhood sectors in Vélez-Málaga,” he said in a statement.

The survey is designed to gather views relating to transport, energy, water management, green spaces and adaptation to extreme weather events. The drafting of this plan also forms part of efforts to comply with Andalusian Law 8/2018 on measures to tackle climate change and the energy transition, legislation which requires numerous town halls in Andalucía to develop local strategies to address the effects of global warming at local level.

In the case of Vélez-Málaga, climate adaptation is particularly important given the characteristics of the municipality, which is one of the largest and most populous in Malaga province and has an extensive coastline that is particularly vulnerable to phenomena such as rising temperatures, drought, desertification and extreme weather events.

In recent years, the Axarquía has experienced severe water stress resulting from the structural drought affecting much of eastern Andalucía, a situation that has now been overcome following the heavy rainfall of the last two years. The decline in water levels at La Viñuela reservoir, agricultural restrictions and growing demographic and tourist pressure have made water management one of the main environmental and economic challenges facing the east of Malaga province, with pending projects such as the public desalination plant and the improvement of the use of reclaimed water for irrigating subtropical crops.

Added to this are other challenges linked to urban development, increased road traffic, energy efficiency of public and private buildings and the need to expand green spaces capable of reducing the ‘heat island’ effect in the most densely populated urban centres.

In recent years Vélez-Málaga town hall has introduced a number of sustainable initiatives including the replacement of street lighting with LED technology, sustainable transport projects, the installation of traffic surveillance cameras, and improvements to parks and public spaces. However, the new PMCC aims to integrate all these initiatives into a comprehensive and coordinated climate strategy.

The document is expected to set out medium and long-term objectives relating to the reduction of pollutant emissions, energy saving, sustainable mobility, urban resilience and climate adaptation. The public consultation process will remain open over the coming weeks to encourage public involvement in shaping the municipality’s future environmental policies.

The town hall believes that this plan could become a key tool for accessing future European and regional funding linked to the green transition, sustainability and climate adaptation, at a time when more and more local authorities are being required to devise specific strategies to tackle the effects of climate change.

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