Gabriel Bello Barros (São Paulo). Enthusiast for innovation with social and urban impact. Cisco Networking Academy Brazil Leader.
What can we learn in the knowledge economy from your city of residence?
Recent studies indicate that by 2050, approximately half of the Amazon rainforest could irreversibly collapse. This catastrophe goes beyond deforestation, as economic pressure and the effects of climate change have generated unprecedented stress. Understanding global functioning, the importance of water, CO2 absorption and the crucial role of biodiversity, the consequences of a possible Amazon catastrophe become a real threat to planetary survival.
However, the Amazon is one of the most interesting places on the planet not only for its biodiversity, but also for its capacity to generate innovation. The arrival of connectivity services through satellites and fiber optics will give way to enormous opportunities, ranging from access to new products to the promotion of culture and education.
The various “Amazons”, with their different cultures, ethnicities, communities and countries, are experiencing constant changes. The knowledge economy is a way for the preservation of the region in all its spheres. On the other hand, promoting the bioeconomy, which includes food, medicines, and biomaterials, together with technological innovation, and regenerative tourism can generate sustainable development.
How could it be transferred/applied to Barcelona? 1,200 characters with spaces
The learning potential of these Amazonian innovations remains to be explored, and international cooperation can be extremely beneficial in accelerating the development of some of these solutions. What is clear is that these ecological challenges are similar to those faced by the ecosystems in Catalonia and Barcelona.
Brazil holds the presidency of the G20 during 2024, and one of the novelties is the Global Initiative for the Bioeconomy, which will seek to build principles that guide this international debate. In 2025, Belém, capital of the Brazilian state of Pará, will host the COP30 climate summit, where the importance of the Amazon will be discussed for the first time, within the territory itself.
In addition, the exhibition “Amazons. The ancestral future” at the CCCB, which will open in November, will be key to promoting dialogue between indigenous wisdom and science, highlighting the importance of preservation.
All of these are opportunities to discuss this knowledge and explore its applicability in Barcelona and Catalonia.