The São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR) currently has more than 20 million inhabitants and a demand of 70 m^3/s for urban drinking water that supplies 39 cities. Most of this water comes from superficial sources that were quite affected due to longer, drier seasons in the last years. The drought put in evidence again the weaknesses of this water system. Almost half of this water is imported from neighboring watersheds. Chronic land-use conflicts in the water sources challenge government and society for a more inclusive approach. The recent international agreements unfolded from the RIO+20 Meeting include the Sustainable Development Goals program, with targets aimed at ending poverty; access to water and sanitation for all; making cities inclusive, resilient and sustainable, plus 14 more goals to transform the world. The phrase "think globally and act locally" has never been so true. In this talk, Prof. Malheiros will discuss the Santo André City - Brazil case study, which is the part of the Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU) activities ongoing in partnership between SNRE and the University of São Paulo.
Prof. Tadeu Malheiros is an environmental engineer and worked for several years with local government environmental agencies, with most of the activities focused at the interface environment, health and society. Now, Malheiros works at the São Carlos School of Engineering of the University of São Paulo - Brazil, teaching and researching sustainability assessment and indicators.