On April 8, 2016 Medellín dawned cloudier than usual. The city had just finished being on alert for critical air quality for three weeks and recorded never-seen-before levels of air pollution. Gray clouds did not discourage the members of Low Carbon City to meet in the Plaza Botero – one of the most iconic tourist sites in Medellín – to generate a discussion on the streets about the air quality for more than two and a half million people who live in the city. The sculptures by artist Fernando Botero were covered with surgical masks to protect the from dangerous pollution that is perceived to be present in the city centre.
The message was not lost: street vendors, tourists, journalists, politicians, passersby, and residents of Medellín listened to a group of citizens exchange arguments in favor of cities where there is clean air. The debate in Medellín is just beginning to heat up.
