On November 30, at the Catholic University of Manizales, the Regional Node of Climate Change of the Eje Cafetero, led by the Regional Autonomous Corporation, met. The occasion allowed for a working group with the most important actors at the regional level in the generation and transfer of technology on climate change.
It is evident that there are research groups in the territory that are working on environmental issues. However, tourism, as an important economic activity in the territory, has not been incorporated into the environmental discussion. This presents an opportunity to articulate efforts and promote multidisciplinary and interinstitutional research that integrates experts in climate change, tourism and circular economy.
Initially, it was proposed to conduct a state of the art of research related to climate change, tourism and circular economy, within the framework of the SUMA Alliance, an alliance between six universities (National, Caldas, Autonomous, Manizales, Catholic, and Luis Amigó), which work permanently in the generation of joint cooperation efforts towards the implementation of research, training and extension projects.
The participants identified critical areas for Caldas University, aiming at research that not only generates academic knowledge, but also provides practical and sustainable solutions for the region and that there is greater participation of social actors and a greater effort for the social appropriation of such knowledge.
Likewise, the willingness was expressed to develop a multidisciplinary teaching module on climate change and tourism, integrating knowledge from different areas and the active participation of teachers from different institutions.