Shefa-Amr Prepares for Climate Challenges: A Strategic Community Workshop on Climate Change Adaptation

 Shefa-Amr Municipality, in collaboration with The Galilee Society and the University of Haifa, hosted a groundbreaking community workshop on Wednesday, July 10th, 2024. This first-of-its-kind event in the Arab community aimed to engage the public in developing a ten-year strategy for Shefa-Amr’s climate change preparedness. This initiative is part of the “Harnessing Professional Expertise and Localized Knowledge for Collaborative Climate Resilience in Shefa-‘Amr” project.

The workshop’s primary goal was to empower the community and involve them in crafting a plan to strengthen urban resilience against climate change challenges, such as heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and emergency response measures.

The workshop featured presentations on the findings of the participatory climate vulnerability study in Shefa-Amr conducted by Haifa University, which highlighted the challenges residents face due to extreme weather events. Participants were divided into four working groups based on neighborhoods and residential areas to discuss key topics: urban planning and open spaces, infrastructure including transportation, construction, and rainwater drainage, and community aspects covering health and city adaptation for different generations.

In the first part of the workshop, the groups identified needs and made suggestions to adapt the city’s neighborhoods to climate change. In the second part, the groups shared their vision of Shefa-Amr as a green, shaded, developed, safe, and clean city.

This community workshop followed a workshop for Municipal departments held the previous week. Recognizing that the strategic plan’s success relies on local community participation, the plan aims to make residents a part of improving services and enhancing the municipality’s performance. Ultimately, a comprehensive and inclusive plan for climate change adaptation will be developed, reflecting and meeting the needs and visions of Shefa-Amr’s residents.

This project is funded by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the European Union.