‘Dia Alternativo’ at CBA19: don’t miss all the locally-led action
CBA19 will be hosted in Recife, Brazil from 12-16 May 2025 – just six months before COP30. For the first time, field trips will be an integrated part of the CBA conference programme.
CBA19 is a conference of firsts. For the first time in its history, the International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change will be held in a Latin American country. And for the first time field trips will be integrated into the programme, ensuring that conference participants get a chance to view locally-led projects in the city and region around the conference.
The first two days of the event will feature our high-level opening followed by parallel sessions organised by the global CBA conference community. Day three – the midpoint of the conference – is where participants get to see locally-led action from partners in and around Recife.
Urban and rural opportunities
Dia Alternativo is a fantastic opportunity for conference participants to go on half-day or full-day field trips to both urban and rural locally led adaptation activities. The field trips will cover:
- Climate solutions in dry areas
- Local flood mitigation activities
- Climate literacy around climate justice
- Urban agriculture, and
- Lots more.
In addition to these field visits, participants will be invited to join lightning talks and out-of-the-box sessions. The day will round off with a local arts and culture programme featuring poetry, dance, music and a marketplace with local crafts and produce.
Connecting to COP30
In 2025, CBA19 has been set up differently to ensure we make the most of being in the country where COP30 is being hosted.
The event is co-hosted by IIED and the state government of Pernambuco. We’re delighted to be working with – and very grateful for the efforts of – a local advisory group leading the Dia Alternativo programme, including Habitat para a Humanidade Brasil, Gris Espaço Solidário, Rede Gera, Fase, Centro Sabiá, ABONG, Plataforma Semiáridos, Ibura Mais Cultura, Environmental Commission of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Somos Todos Muribeca, Caranguejo Uçá, and Popular Observatory of Climate Injustices.
Rafaeli Eiras, legal coordinator of Somos Todos Muribeca, said: "We are excited to bring to the world the voices of communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. CBA19 is an opportunity to show that climate justice is built in the territory and to push decision-makers to recognise those who are already leading the way.
Dia Alternativo holds great potential, representing an opportunity to break away from closed-door events and to centre the solutions of those who live the crisis rather than those who study it from afar.
“We will not be mere ‘guests’ – we will be protagonists, demonstrating on the ground that there is no just adaptation without historical reparation.
“In the outskirts of the Recife Metropolitan Region, climate collapse is already a reality. Instead of merely denouncing, we will show how we survive through creativity and collective action.”
