Problem Statement

 

The Curitiba's Climate Network (in Portuguese, Rede Curitiba Climática - RECC) was born from the lack of climate action and social engagement in Curitiba. Currently, Curitiba's municipality has a Climate Action Plan, but it's not correctly executed, without a specific public budget or an execution calendar. Therefore, the city isn't delivering mitigation and adaptation solutions. Meanwhile, the most impacted citizens are excluded from discussions and execution of public policies.

 

Target Group

 

Residents of the neighborhoods most affected by the impacts of the climate crisis in Curitiba.

 

Proposed Solution

 

Through Curitiba's Climate Network, the Curitiba Hub aims to build bridges between citizens and the municipal government. Our main goal is to engage and articulate people, inclusively and diversely, facilitating spaces for debate, presenting solutions, and influencing the decision-making processes on the climate agenda to make Curitiba more fair and sustainable. To do that, based on Curitiba's Climate Action Plan analysis and studies on the local reality carried out by the project team, we promote climate training and advocacy workshops for groups directly affected by the climate crisis in Curitiba.

 

Hub Activities

 

Our activities include workshops in the regions most affected by climate change, like schools and community centers. The workshop has three phases:

• 
  

  Initially, we verify the public's level of knowledge about the climate discussion and briefly contextualize the theme.

  
  


• 
  

  Second, based on the participants' reports, we identify the main problems that affect that group and relate them to the climate crisis.

  
  


• 
  

  Finally, we develop individual and collective solutions that can contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation in that community.

  
  

 

After the workshop, we write an activity report, which serves as a tool for advocacy actions. 

 

It is a cheap solution with a high socio-environmental impact, which can easily be replicated in other municipalities in Brazil.

 

Short & Long-Term Goals/Results

 

The project's Short-Term Goals (and Key Findings) are:

 

• The identification of community problems:

(1. Area vulnerable to extreme climate events, such as landslides, floods, flooding and heat waves, according to the Curitiba’s Climate Action Plan;

 2. Residents of the community have pointed out the floods as a recurring problem in the community;

 3. Residents of the community have criticized the work done by the city hall on the river that passes through the community. The vegetation around the river, that protected it, was removed and a wall was built in its place, which has increased the flooding problem;

 4. A considerable number of the residents work as garbage collectors and its routine is not sufficient to collect all of the garbage in the community, resulting in the accumulation of waste in the public spaces, which increases the occurrence of drainage and health problems;

 5. Participants of the workshop have considered as urgent matters the basic sanitation, the access to electric energy and other basic social services, that depend on the land regularization of its lands and houses.).

 

• 
  

  The sensitization of the people affected by the problem;

  
  

 

• 
  

  The collective construction of solutions to the issues experienced by that region regarding climate change:

  
  

(Community residents have pointed out what needs to be done and the workshop facilitators have shown some ways of creating solutions through different actors:

1. Planting tree seedlings in the community, specially close to the river;

2. Creation of a recreation area to the community, to improve the quality of life of the residents and to get back in touch with nature;

3. Paving unpaved streets, in order to avoid problems on rainy days and in the occurrence of floods.).

 

• 
  

  The creation and delivery of a document with data and solutions directed to the government. 

  
  

 

The Long-Term Goals are:

 

• 
  

  The knowledge of the channels of participation and social control, by the civil society (the audience of our workshops);

  
  


• 
  

  The perception, by the civil society, of the connection of recurring problems with climate issues;

  
  


• 
  

  And the effectiveness of the climate solutions by the public power and the Climate Action Plan of Curitiba. 

  
  

 

Available Metrics (and results)

 

• 
  

  One workshop in Curitiba:

  
  

(One workshop was carried out in the Vila Parolin, a community in Curitiba, that was held in a community kitchen. See workshop slides on the project’s library as attachment “Vila Parolin Workshop Material - RECC”).

 

• 
  

  15 people from different families per neighborhood: 

  
  

(8 members of the community have participated in the workshop).

 

• 
  

  60 people impacted: 

  
  

(Besides the community members that participated in the workshop, others have been impacted by the different actions carried out by the project in the community. Actions in the community after the workshop:

1. Planting tree seedlings in public spaces;

2. Participation in community events, including contributions to the organization of these;

3. Donation of food to the community;

4. Collection and donation of clothes and blankets to the community during the winter;

5. Delivery of the workshop report back to the community, specially to the community leader who made the workshop possible.).

 

• 
  

  One report per workshop:

  
  

(Report currently available in Portuguese on the project’s library, see attachment "RECC Vila Parolin Report").

 

• 
  

  Dialogue with at least one councilman and one city representative per report:

  
  

(Advocacy actions: the Vila Parolin’s workshop report was delivered to four municipal councilors, with which the project members had a dialogue about the experience in the community, resulting in the commitment of these councilors to the subject at the municipal level).

 

• 
  

  5 shapers and ten volunteers have already engaged.