Page 15 - UmRio Sustainability - Action Plan

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS & KEY STAKEHOLDERS

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS

UmRio recognizes the risks that climate change can present to residents of Morro do
Castro and that these issues currently, and will continue to, affect their ability to
execute UmRio’s 5 Pillars: Education, Social Services, Health, Employability, and Sports.
Efforts to incorporate climate change resilience should not add any excessive costs that
can’t be easily offset, nor can they distract from UmRio’s existing efforts in the
community. Instead, the Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) should enhance UmRio’s
efforts to reduce inequality and promote social justice in Morro do Castro and any
areas they will expand.

EDUCATION:
UmRio would like to find ways to address the hindrances climate change creates for
their children to attend school, in-person or online. Specifically, how heat, flooding,
internet, and power loss affect children’s attendance and performance at school and
their ability to study and learn. In addition, stable access to the internet is critical to
children’s learning if they cannot get to school due to climate events. “UNICEF has
estimated that around 1 billion children (nearly half of the world’s total of 2.2 billion)
live in one of 33 countries at very high risk due to their exposure to multiple climate
hazards. When a weather hazard impacts a community, educational services are
often interrupted, and educational facilities [may be] used as shelters. For this
reason, some international organizations have issued a set of recommendations and

practical guides, which constitute minimum standards for the protection of children
in humanitarian action, among which are the assurance of the continuity of
educational services for children.” (Leal Filho et al., 2023).

SOCIAL SERVICES:
As extreme weather events happen more often, it has been shown that mental
health is negatively affected, and people may experience depression, anxiety, post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep disorders, which can then lead to
increased feelings of despair (climate-anxiety) and substance abuse, among other
struggles (Alford et al., 2023). In partnership with Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FioCruz),
UmRio would like to better understand the impact of climate change on Morro do
Castro residents and create a process for ongoing monitoring and support. “Climate
change stressors such as heat and extreme weather events have been linked to
multiple adverse mental health outcomes such as increased rates of suicide and
psychological distress, worsened symptoms of psychiatric disorders, and heightened
mortality among people with mental health problems. Beyond the direct impacts of
climate change, concerns over the climate crisis are also leading to the emergence of
various psychological reactions, such as climate anxiety.

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