Earlier this year, we spoke with Ana Lucia Moya, adviser to the Directorate of Climate Change (DCC) at the Ministry of Environment (MINAE), on her work with the National Climate Change Metric System (SINAMECC).

What is it and what is the purpose of SINAMECC?

SINAMECC is a tool for the collection, monitoring, and reporting of data related to climate change at the national, territorial, sectorla, and climate action levels.
«SINAMECC has three very important objectives. The first is monitoring and accountability for climate change. The second is to facilitate decision-making based on data, visualized in an integrated way. The third is to open climate change data (facilitate access to data), which is in line with the open data action plan of the previous government,» Moya said.
SINAMECC first arose as a mandate following the creation of the DCC.  The tool is committed to building a system to promote the country’s transparency and to report efficiently.

Who are the actors who lead the platform?

The development of the platform has been led by the DCC, in conjunction with a committee composed of different institutions, including the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) and National Meteorological Institute (IMN).
«In 2018, within the framework of the Carbon Neutrality Country Program 2.0, the software development and the concept of the system were presented. So far we have made a lot of progress with the platform. In approximately two months it will be ready and available to the public who can access the first viable version of the system,» said Moya.

How does the platform work and what data does it offer?

«It is a data box that groups together information on mitigation, adaptation, climate finance, and co-benefits. In addition, with this platform we will have access to the national emissions inventory of 2012,» said Moya.
There will be four levels of metrics. The first level is for national information. The second level is the sectoral one (industry, waste, energy, agriculture). The third level is territorial and deals with more disaggregated information. The fourth level is to monitor climate change policies, goals, and projects.

What advantages can a municipality have with access to this information?

«It helps to visualize better information about climate change. They can have much more clarity where emissions are being generated. Therefore, it will allow them to generate policies to reduce their emissions and implement them more effectively,» said Moya.
The system will soon be available to the public.