Impact of Climate Extremes on Ecsosystem and Human Health in Brazil (PULSE-Brazil)

The international scientific community is developing a greater understanding of the underpinning science and the associated impacts of climate change on Amazonia. However, the challenge is now to continue to develop the science while at the same time engaging with the national and international stakeholders, the key policymakers and the local communities.

We recognise that this cannot be achieved in isolation and the key to success will be through international collaboration. Therefore, this programme will be delivered through close collaboration between the University of Exeter, the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the Federal University of Minas Gerais and the UK Met Office. The PULSE-Brazil project consists of three inter-linked Work-packages (WPs):

Work-package 1 (WP1) - will coordinate the exchange of scientists between the UK and Brazil, organise and run international conferences and stakeholder engagement activities, and manage the overall PULSE-Brazil project. The ultimate aim of this WP is to integrate the results and discussions between the cross-disciplinary research team and policy makers to propose strategies for mitigation and adaptation (Leader: Luiz Aragao)

Work-package 2 (WP2) - will focus on building the climate, environmental and human-health datasets for assessing the Impacts and Vulnerability to Climate Change in Brazil, based on state-of-the-art climate change projections from he regional Eta model and the MBSCG global model. The climate and environmental data will be delivered by INPE of Brazil, while the health data will be delivered by Federal University of Minas Gerais - both funded by a related proposal to FAPESP- FRPGCC (Leader : Jose Marengo).

Work-package 3 (WP3) - will develop a 'user friendly' decision-support system (PULSE) that will allow both academic and non-academic users to visualise the impacts of Climate Change on ecosystems and human health the Brazilian region, using relevant outputs from pre-existing model projections. This will be subcontracted to the UK Met Office (Leader: Richard Betts).

The PULSE-Brazil proposal is unlike standard research proposals, in that it does not seek support for a pre-determined research project, but rather it requests support for a suite of activities to facilitate international collaboration via an international project office. This proposal aims to facilitate international collaboration to further the understanding of the impacts of climate change in Amazonia. The following outlines the potential beneficiaries of this work.

Brazilian Policymakers (e.g. Ministry of Science and Technology) - through attendance at workshops and conferences key stakeholders will gain a greater understanding of Earth System Science and the profound consequences of human activity - specifically the potential impact of climate and land-cover changes in Amazonia. This will help inform policy decisions to mitigate against potential changes and to minimize negative impacts on ecosystems, water resources and human health - which will contribute towards improving the quality of life and well-being for local communities. PULSE-Brazil will also provide information to the United Nations environmental conventions on climate change and biological diversity, given the key importance of Amazonia for both.

Regional Authorities in Brazil - Deforestation rates in Brazilian Amazonia have declined by 2/3 over the last five years. PULSE-Brazil will influence public policy at a local/regional level by providing better and clearer information on the potential impacts of climate and land-cover changes on Amazonia to guide options towards sustainability for the region.

Local Communities in Brazil and other Amazon countries - impact studies are best delivered through the involvement of local experts and local communities. Informal workshops to be held in Brazil will enable local communities to steer and contribute to the project. In return, PULSE-Brazil will enhance the understanding and awareness that local communities have regarding links between human actions and climate change.

International & UK Policymakers (Department for International Development, World Bank) - The UK Government will be investing 0.7% of gross national income in aid from 2013 to contribute towards international development, despite the recent economic downturn. The information that is communicated by PULSE-Brazil will enable the relevant policymakers and budget holders to focus their investment on projects that deliver the greatest overall benefits for sustainable international development. This project will also provide inputs to Brazilian and UK national communications to the UN convention on climate change, as well as the 5th Assessment Report for the International Government Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This will allow more robust reporting on the impacts of climate change in the Amazon.

UK Academic & International Scientific Communities - increased knowledge transfer, and therefore a greater understanding of the underpinning science, can only be achieved through international collaboration. The coordinations provided by PULSE-Brazil, and the associated workshops and seminars, will ensure that vital communication within the international scientific community is enhanced.

National and International Media - A key beneficiary of this project will be the UK, Brazilian and International Media, and ultimately their audiences, who will receive clearer and more accurate information regarding climate and land-use changes in Amazonia. Press releases and media briefings will contribute objective information to the international debates on climate change and deforestation, in both the printed press and other media.