Enhancing Urban Climate Resilience Leadership in Rio de Janeiro: A Recap of the U20 Panel

On a global stage increasingly affected by climate change, cities like Rio de Janeiro have emerged as pivotal players in addressing climate challenges. This was the central theme of the panel “Enhancing Urban Climate Resilience Leadership in Rio de Janeiro”, a part of a major project funded by Climate Hub Rio and led by Cynthia Rosenzweig, a climatologist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University. Held under the auspices of the Columbia Global Center Rio’s Climate Hub, the panel brought together an impressive array of experts to explore solutions for building a more resilient Rio.

Maria Dombrov, Associate Researcher at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research, moderated the session. Opening the event, Thomas Trebat, founding director of the Columbia Global Center in Rio, emphasized the unique opportunity for Rio to demonstrate how subnational governments can advance climate goals by leveraging science to foster impactful public-private partnerships. He highlighted the Climate Hub as a model of such collaboration.

Cynthia Rosenzweig joined via videoconference to outline the critical work of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), incubated at Columbia and co-directed by her. She presented key pillars of the project, including the Third Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.3), the UCCRN Case Study Atlas, and the Urban Design Climate Workshop (UDCW). Cynthia stressed Rio's pioneering role as a global reference in urban climate resilience and the need to deepen knowledge at the neighborhood level for better urban planning and sustainable corridors. Her presentation included sobering data on rising temperatures, uncertain precipitation levels, and the threats posed by sea-level rise and coastal flooding. She concluded with a call for preparedness against the confluence of extreme events.

The conversation then moved to Felipe Mandarino, Technical Coordinator at the Pereira Passos Institute (IPP). Representing a longstanding partnership with NASA Goddard and Columbia University, Mandarino outlined Rio's climate action framework, focusing on heatwaves, landslides, floods, and sea-level rise. He stressed the importance of prioritizing adaptation measures in inland areas with vulnerable populations.

Marcus Belchior, the Executive Head of Rio de Janeiro’s Operations and Resilience Center (COR), emphasized the importance of grounding resilience policies in scientific research. He pointed out that Rio has experienced a significant change in extreme weather events, shifting from one event every six years between 1931 and 1996 to annual occurrences since 2010. Belchior urged stronger partnerships with academic institutions, technology agencies, and specialized organizations to address these challenges effectively. These partnerships, enhanced by tools like artificial intelligence, are essential for saving lives and implementing effective infrastructure solutions, such as the Praça da Bandeira flood reservoir and the Jardim Maravilha dikes.

Daniel Mancebo, General Coordinator of Rio’s Planning Office and a participant in Climate Hub’s climate leadership exchange program, shared initiatives like the creation of sustainable corridors addressing urban forestry and climate justice. He emphasized localized urban planning with an example of Oswaldo Cruz’s pilot project aimed at testing innovative solutions.

Maria Fernanda Lemos, an architecture professor at PUC and IPCC member, provided insights into addressing local vulnerabilities through inclusive participatory processes. She highlighted the challenges of informal systems that exacerbate climate risks, reflecting the socioeconomic and territorial inequalities prevalent in the Global South.

Susannah Kagan, Science to Policy Director at UCCRN, stressed the need for two-way interactions between science and policy to refine data-driven decision-making. She advocated for city-to-city knowledge sharing and collaboration among diverse stakeholders to bridge gaps in understanding and action.

The session concluded with Daniel Zarrilli, Columbia University’s Chief Climate & Sustainability Officer, drawing parallels with the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), a collaboration between Columbia and NYC. Zarrilli expressed optimism that Rio could follow a similar path, one he deemed as necessary.

Through this discussion, the panel underscored Rio’s potential to lead by example in urban climate resilience, showcasing how science, policy, and community engagement can coalesce to forge sustainable futures.