After a thorough and competitive selection process, Climate Hub Rio is delighted to announce the five recipients of its 2024 grant awards. These awardees will conduct innovative research projects in Brazil, thanks to the seed funding provided through this program. The grants will provide an exclusive opportunity for faculty members to contribute to climate-related research in Brazil, and more specifically, in Rio de Janeiro.
With the support of the Columbia Global Center in Rio de Janeiro, our awardees will be able to benefit from the Center's ten years of experience and extensive partnerships in Rio and Brazil to facilitate and monitor their research. These grants provide an exceptional opportunity for faculty members to participate in climate-related research in Brazil.
Suzana Camargo, the Marie Tharp Lamont Research Professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, will conduct a project called "Simulation of extreme weather events in Brazilian megacities." The project's objective is to improve our understanding of the dynamics of extreme weather events, which is essential for effective disaster preparedness and response strategies.
Alex de Sherbinin, deputy director and senior research scientist at the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia Climate School, received a grant for his project titled "Workshop: Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerable Populations and Advancing Climate Resilience in Rio de Janeiro." This initiative emphasizes the importance of inclusive approaches in building resilience, particularly for vulnerable communities.
Andrew Kruczkiewicz, senior staff associate at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at the Columbia Climate School, will work with Brazilian scientists and decision-makers to prioritize opportunities and outline challenges in "Enhancing disaster resilience in Rio de Janeiro." This project holds promise for fostering partnerships and actionable strategies in disaster risk reduction.
Nicolas Lippolis, a postdoctoral research scientist at the Columbia Climate School, will investigate the crucial link between national oil companies and the energy transition in his project, "National Oil Companies and the Political Economy of Energy Transition: The Case of Petrobras." This research promises insights into navigating the complexities of energy transition within the context of state-owned enterprises.
Bernard Salanie, Sami Mnaymneh Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, will focus on "Municipal-level flood insurance," proposing innovative solutions to mitigate the economic impacts of flooding at the local level.
The Climate Hub Rio’s 2024 grant awards represent a collaborative effort towards interdisciplinary research and actionable outcomes in addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change. These projects hold promise for Rio de Janeiro and inform global efforts towards climate resilience and sustainability.
The Climate Hub Rio congratulates all the grant recipients and looks forward to the impactful outcomes of their endeavors in the fight against climate change. To learn more about the awardees and their projects, visit our awardee's page here.
