Adaptation to Climate Change in a Metropolitan Region of Global South: 2nd Pluriannual Plan of the Grande ABC Paulista

This chapter aims to verify how issues related to adaptation to climate change are inserted in the scope of the 2nd Pluriannual Plan for the Grande ABC Paulista Region, corresponding to the period 2019–2021, to understand how this planning instrument at a regional level may contribute to adapting to the effects of climate change, as recommended by Sustainable Development Goal 13. The Grande ABC Paulista Region is located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, and its main characteristics are the strong presence of the industrial sector, a factor that shaped how the municipalities that are part of the region are organized, which share common socio-environmental problems and a political engagement on the part of organized civil society, which is also expressed in the scope of the ABC inter-municipal consortium, the entity responsible for the elaboration and coordinated implementation of public policies for the region. The methodology used to achieve the objective was content analysis (BARDIN, Análise de conteúdo. Editora Edições, Lisboa, 1977) applied to the Pluriannual Plan, so that the maximum amount of information relevant to the objective of the study was obtained from the document. As a result, the analysis revealed that the plan has actions within the scope of the challenges identified by the working groups that may contribute to the adaptation to the negative effects of climate change, with emphasis on those related to the theme of urban drainage, management of risks, housing, environment, and urban planning. It is also noted that the popular participation shown in the annex of the plan may have contributed to the inclusion of issues related to adaptation to climate change, mainly in the scope of the risk management working group, demonstrating the importance of stimulating social mobilization and civil society participation in public planning.