Speaking at the inaugural Group of 20 Social Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Taubman College’s Ana Paula Pimentel Walker urged world leaders and policymakers to give organized civil society a greater voice in addressing and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
“Organized social movements should have a permanent role in the making of climate change policy,” said Pimentel Walker, associate professor of urban and regional planning. “Not only can they inform that policy, but with proper funding they can implement it.”
The G20 Social Summit, held November 14-16, was initiated by the Brazilian-led presidency of the G20 to highlight the needs of low-income people and to encourage wider social participation by non-governmental organizations and community groups in G20 discussions and decision-making processes.
Pimentel Walker spoke at a November 14 workshop, “The Impact of Climate Change on Evictions and the Fulfillment of the Right to Adequate Housing and the City.”
It was one of 164 meetings and panels held during the summit, which drew more than 40,000 registered participants from G20 countries to Rio’s revamped port area and Museum of Tomorrow.
At her workshop presentation, Pimentel Walker reported the initial findings from her multidisciplinary research project focused on passive cooling strategies for self-built housing in informal settlements in Brazil and Colombia.
Over the past two years, she analyzed the construction practices, materials, and indoor temperatures in slum houses, collaborated with Architecture Professor Lars Junghans, who crunched the data, and co-developed affordable, feasible measures to lower daytime heat levels.
“The University of Michigan research team and our global partners are working at the forefront of research on heat and climate action in informal and precarious settlements,” Pimentel Walker said. “With proper funding for implementation and better materials, there are measures we can take to reduce indoor heat and improve health outcomes for low-income residents.”
During her talk, she also touched on issues such as reforestation, native plant nurseries, and intermittent access to water and sanitation that impact the sustainability of self-built housing in low-income communities.
The workshop, which attracted nearly 300 attendees, was organized by the Union of Housing Movements, a long-term partner of Taubman College and a global partner of the U-M Center for Global Health Equity in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Cities.
During the three-day summit, Pimentel Walker also contributed to in-depth discussions on the three key themes of Brazil’s Group of 20 agenda:
- Fighting hunger, poverty, and inequality
- Sustainability, climate change, and just transition
- Global governance reform
The G20 Social Summit provided a viable platform for social input ahead of the main annual G20 meeting on November 18-19.
Founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis, the G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. Its presidency, currently held by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, rotates annually among the member countries, which represent the world’s major economies.
