2018-07-09
An increased urban population has resulted in environmental and socioeconomic degradation, which is now aggravated by climate change, now felt more acutely in all countries. In a joint effort, experts from Europe and Brazil are attending an international seminar in Brasilia on 9-10 July to discuss science-based, locale-specific economic solutions to these challenges that combine approaches based on nature and ecosystems – the so-called Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).
The 2nd International Seminar on Nature-Based Solutions: Promoting Urban Nature for More Resilient Cities, to be held at the Museum of the Republic, is led by the Centre for Management and Strategic Studies (CGEE) in collaboration with the European Union, through the EU-Brazil Sector Dialogues Support Facility; with the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC); and with the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). The meeting also relies on support by the Federal District government.
European experts will present the concept of NBS to Brazilian stakeholders as a means to contribute to the development of a Brazilian roadmap for these nature-based solutions, also known as green infrastructure. Examples of NBSs in the EU (developed under the H2020 programme) and in Brazil will be showcased, and their role in tackling environmental, social and economic challenges and enhancing resilience (e.g. water stress and climate change) will be discussed.
In addition to the cost-effectiveness of these solutions and the multiple benefits they provide, their contribution to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will also be addressed. Now, the Brazilian and European experts involved in the NBS project under the Sector Dialogues Facility will present initiatives underway in cities such as Brasilia, Recife and São Paulo, and successful examples in Europe that can be tailored to Brazil.
Based on the good practices of NBS and the benefits afforded by such solutions, the seminar will offer a multifaceted and multidisciplinary view to discuss mainstream NBS and their effectiveness involving science, politics and economics. The expected results are reduced pollution and improved livelihoods in urban areas that can be better communicated and used by policymakers to raise public consensus and thus contribute to the expansion, dissemination and adoption of NBS in Brazil and the world.
Cooperation in S&T
This seminar is part of the EU-Brazil Cooperation Agreement on Research and Innovation in Science and Technology, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2017. Upon its renewal, Sustainable Urbanisation was one of the priority thematic areas for the new phase, which will run for five years.
The event is held under the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Project for Sustainable Cities. This initiative relies on funding by GEF and implemented in Brazil by the CGEE in partnership with the MCTIC, the Federal District Secretariat for the Environment, the Recife Agency for Innovation and Strategy (Aries) and the Sustainable Cities Programme of Rede Nossa São Paulo. The CGEE and the MCTIC are jointly responsible for establishing the Sustainable City Innovation Observatory.
Cristiano Cagnin, coordinator of the GEF Sustainable Cities project with CGEE, emphasises that the idea is to take advantage of the seminar to discuss nature-based solutions to the challenges currently being mapped out by the observatory. In addition, creation of an advisory board for the project will be discussed. “They will make a more robust contribution to the observatory by conducting a critical analysis of what we are building with the project and how it fits into Brazilian initiatives,” he says.
Click here to see the full seminar programme:
http://www.eubrdialogues.com/documentos/agenda/657447_Agenda_Seminar_NBS.pdf
Service
International Seminar on Nature-Based Solutions
Date: 9-10 July
Time: 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Venue: Museum of the Republic – Brasilia, Brazil
23/10/2020
Study addresses regulatory and governance challenges to decarbonize and digitalise the energy sector
16/10/2020
Joint press release - 8th EU-Brazil High Level Political Dialogue on the Environment Dimension of Sustainable Development on 16 October 2020 (virtual meeting)
03/08/2020
Webinar discusses the importance of data protection in the COVID-19 pandemic
22/05/2020
European Union and Brazil decide to cooperate in projects to fight COVID-19