With rapid population growth, rural to urban migration and the expansion of urban boundaries, climate vulnerability continues to threaten cities globally. Low-income urban residents are particularly susceptible to being impacted by climate change as they are more likely to live in high-risk areas such as floodplains and steep slopes, and often lack access to basic infrastructure and services, like electricity and drainage, that could reduce these risks.

As 2.5 billion people are expected to be added to the world’s urban population by 2050, increasing energy use and emissions production as well as climate risk, cities must play a leading role in climate change mitigation to avoid a global temperature rise greater than 1.5°C while also improving the living conditions, health and safety of all their residents.

In this one-hour webinar, we will hear from practitioners in India, Egypt and Brazil that are utilizing green building methods for upgrading informal settlements to be resilient, healthy and low-carbon. Participants will share community stories and best practices to learn from and we’ll discuss how these pilots can be scaled to promote low-carbon living in low-income areas.

Speakers:

  • Dr. Ahmed Sadda, Associate Minister for Civil Society Support & Health Affairs and Executive Director for the Civil Society Support Fund, Speaking on the Hayah Karema project in Egypt
  • Professor Salah El-Haggar, President of Egypt Green Building Council, Speaking on the Hayah Karema project in Egypt
  • Dr. Ronita Bardhan, Assistant Professor of Sustainability in the Built Environment at University of Cambridge, Speaking on a project in India
  • Nina Rentel, Director of Social Technologies, Gerando Falcoes
  • Emiliano Detta, Deputy Director - Mexico, KfW
  • Robin King, Director of Knowledge Capture & Collaboration, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

Moderator:

  • Sumedha Malaviya, Program Manager, WRI Buildings Initiative