Where Collaboration Accelerates Climate Action: A Year of Thinking + Doing
How can we align the varying interests of governments, nonprofits, academia and businesses to drive urgently needed action on climate change?
As climate change creates new challenges for communities, our ability to adapt quickly and put meaningful solutions into practice depends on how well we can work together.
Climate Hub Rio launched in 2023 as a strategic partnership with the City of Rio de Janeiro and Columbia Global Center Rio. Rio – a megalopolis with immense forest cover, varied biomes, and substantial vulnerability to sea level change – offers an ideal environment to develop climate action that makes sense for diverse communities.
The Hub focuses on three core activities:
- Spreading climate education
- Supporting Columbia faculty and student research
- Organizing conferences, workshops and other public events that bring together stakeholders from all corners of society.
The Climate Hub provides seed funding for innovative research projects led by Columbia faculty in Brazil. Last year’s awardees studied extreme weather events in Brazil’s major cities, strategies for building more community resilience to natural disasters, and the complex relationship between oil companies and energy transition.
"The majority of humanity lives in cities with incomes equal to or lower than Rio's, that is to say, without the resources of rich nation cities. For these countries to face the damage that the climate crisis is causing, they can learn a great deal from experts here in Rio de Janeiro. Our goal at the Columbia University Climate Hub Rio here is to fill niches in the field of research."
- Thomas Trebat, Founding Director, Columbia Global Center Rio de Janeiro
The goal of all these climate workshops and discussions? Practical, data-driven solutions that can work for government, businesses and civil society.
In 2024, Columbia Global held 44 climate-related workshops and discussions, pushing forward this vital debate at a key time.
Climate Hub Rio represents Columbia Global’s mission to foster open dialogue among all stakeholders in climate action.
The timing could not be more significant: With Brazil set to host the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), the nation is positioned to take a lead role in the global climate debate and help stakeholders focus on the needs of the Southern Hemisphere, where most of the world’s climate-vulnerable regions are located.
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