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Hermosillo, Sonora.- Today, the North American Development Bank (NADB) launched the first of five sessions of a webinar on climate change for staff at the Sonora State Water Commission (CEA). The opening session was presided over by Sergio Ávila Ceceña, Executive Director of the Commission, and NADB officers.

The 40-hour course, “Climate Change and its Consequences: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided” is being offered by NADB in Hermosillo, Sonora, using the massive open online course (MOOC) platform of the Word Bank, and includes a workshop on estimating greenhouse gas emissions for projects in Mexico, as well as a visit with worldwide environmental experts.

Over the course of the five sessions, participants will learn about the negative impacts resulting from a likely 4°C warming of the planet, such as the risks to ecosystems, biodiversity and human health. The seminar also includes a climate analysis of the state and/or region where the webinar is being presented, so that participants can develop ideas for programs or projects aimed at climate change in their area.

“The Sonora State Water Commission is very grateful to NADB for presenting this type of initiative, thereby strengthening relations with that Institution and hopefully bringing more projects to this state,” commented Mr. Sánchez from CEA. Other participants in this course include the Sonora State Environmental and Sustainable Development Commission (CEDES), the University of Sonora, and the Hermosillo water utility, among others.

The format of this virtual seminar, first launched by NADB in 2015, was changed to include an on-site facilitator to foster greater interaction among the participants and is part of NADB’s efforts to offer training on environmental issues and institutional strengthening to a larger number of personnel from utilities, public agencies and the private sector in the U.S.-Mexico border region, where the Bank operates.

A new feature of this year’s program is an emissions workshop that is intended to raise awareness and educate participants on the benefits of water projects from an environmental perspective, by estimating the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted before and after the construction and operation of a water project, such as the different processes involved in operating a wastewater treatment plant, using biogas from wastewater sludge to generate electricity, a water treatment plant, and more.

Upon completing the entire webinar, participants will be able to receive a certificate of completion from the World Bank and another from NADB, if they obtain an overall score of 50% or higher on the evaluation.