29 December 2009: The World Bank has approved two Global Environment Facility (GEF) grants to fund clean energy transport in Mexican and Brazilian cities.
A US$5.38 million grant for cities in Mexico and a US$8.53 million grant for cities in Brazil were approved as part of the regional Sustainable Transport and Air Quality (STAQ) Project, which seeks to reduce the emission of air pollutants in several important Latin American cities, fostering long-term increases in the patronage of less energy intensive transport modes.
Participating cities were selected through a competition in which 47 cities from 12 countries in Latin America participated as part of the GEF’s STAQ Program implemented in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. [GEF Grant for Mexico][GEF Grant for Brazil]