News

Hermosillo, Sonora. – Today, the North American Development Bank (NADB) concluded its fiveweek webinar in Hermosillo, Sonora, with a conference featuring keynote speakers from the World Bank. The 40-hour webinar, “Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided” was offered in a group session by NADB through the massive open online course (MOOC) platform of the Word Bank.

Participants who completed the entire course and final project received NADB certificates presented by the chairman of the Sonora state water agency, Comisión Estatal de Agua (CEA), Sergio Ávila, who expressed his excitement at the completion of the first phase of NADB training and also reaffirmed Sonora’s commitment to implement infrastructure projects that will benefit the environment and promote a more efficient use of water.

The speakers, four economics and climate change experts, covered topics such as emerging and projected climate change impacts, climate resilience in water planning, and policy options for advancing climate actions in state and local governments, among others.

The conference was attended by 150 participants, including personnel from CEA, the state environmental commission Comisión de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (CEDES), and professors and students from various state universities including the University of Sonora (UNISON), Sonora Institute of Technology (ITSON), Sonora State University (UES), Universidad Kino, as well as water utility authorities and professionals.

The webinar and conference are 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.