ICLEI co-hosts British-Brazilian Seminar and Workshop on Renewable Energy for Sustainable Living

This March, the ICLEI Latin America and Caribbean Secretariat is co-hosting the British-Brazilian Seminar and Workshop on renewable energy for Sustainable Living.

The event, to take place in São Paulo (Brazil) from 4-5 March 2008, will bring together stakeholders to share experience and expertise in the field of Renewable Energies among scientists from Brazil and the United Kingdom.  It is being co-hosted with the British Council.

The areas of focus of the Seminar are:

• Energy from waste – solid and wastewater treatment
• Photovoltaic energy
• Biofuels for transport
• Integrating renewable energies and distributed generation in the national electricity grid

The overall objectives of the Seminar are to:

• identify potential lines of research for joint Brazil/UK work in the field of renewable energies, which is of interest to both delegations;
• strengthen bi-lateral links already established between Brazil & UK scientists in the field of renewable energies, and related sciences; and
• establish an informal and sustainable network in this field linking young British and Brazilian scientists.

Co-hosted by ICLEI LACS and the British Council, other partners include the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow (Scotland), CETESB- Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental, and the São Paulo State Secretariat for the Environment.  The event is further supported by CENBIO- Centro Nacional de Referência em Biomassa and by COPPE/UFRJ - Coordenação dos Programas de Pós-graduação de Engenharia da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.

This event is part of the British Council's International Networking for Young Scientists (INYS) scheme, which is intended to provide opportunities for young researchers to meet face-to-face for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and information on priority research topics in their countries.

The event in Brazil is also part of the project "De Olho No Clima", a British Council initiative in Brazil to engage people in constructive debate about climate change and encourage specified target audiences to take action and advocate for the mitigation of climate change.

The workshop will be preceded by a welcome dinner on the 3rd and a seminar open to the public on 4 March. After the workshops, there will be technical visits to relevant research centres in São Paulo.

For more information, please go to www.britishcouncil.org/brasil-science-climate-change-activities-renewable-energy-seminar.htm.