From Wastewater to Resources: Circular Solutions for a Climate-Resilient Future, course with UNEP, November 25 and 27

Organized within the framework of the agreement between the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability (UPC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and with the collaboration of Aarhus University in Denmark, the LIFE GreenAdapt project (https://lifegreenadapt.com/), and the SureNexus Project (https://surenexus.eu), this online course (in Spanish) is designed for Latin America and is 100% action-oriented. Its dual focus is: i) the recovery of resources—water, energy, nutrients, and materials—and ii) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (especially methane, N₂O, and CO₂) throughout the effluent and wastewater cycle and other waste, with direct impacts on climate resilience, the local economy, and the achievement of the NDCs and SDGs.

Days: November 25 and 27

Online

Registration for November 25: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QWAJjL75RAewh3NKoCE29w

Registration for November 27: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/YmwbU4mFSyCv_2mg2F8gyA_

Practical Approach. We start from real problems in European and Latin American contexts (municipalities, public companies, agribusinesses, and urban and rural areas) and translate them into viable circular interventions: organic waste valorization; biogas capture and use; constructed wetlands and other nature-based solutions; safe water reuse; nutrient recovery; operational improvements in landfills and wastewater treatment plants; and decarbonization roadmaps. Each session offers ready-to-use tools (checklists, templates, and metrics) and criteria to prioritize projects based on climate impact, cost-effectiveness, and social co-benefits.

Panel of Specialists. The teaching team will consist of renowned specialists from academia, private enterprise, and public administration, along with representatives from international organizations such as UNEP, IWRA, and UNESCO, among others. They will contribute direct experience in the design and implementation of circular projects, regulation and policy, climate finance, GHG emissions MRV, water and waste management, and nature-based solutions. This diversity ensures a 360° perspective that combines scientific rigor, technical feasibility, and business models, with comparisons between Latin American and European frameworks and lessons learned in cities, utilities, and agribusinesses. Each expert will work with real cases, metrics, and practical tools, so the content is immediately applicable.

Course Structure. The course will be held in two sessions, on November 25 and 27, 2025, with micro-classes of 30 minutes per expert (20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions), covering the following sections:

• Key challenge to address: what problem to solve (e.g., CH₄ emissions in WWTPs, sludge, landfills, nutrient losses, waste burning).

• Barriers to overcome: technical, financial, regulatory, organizational, and sociocultural.

• Enabling factors: appropriate technologies, business models, GHG MRV, financing, governance, and participation.

Course Program. Download here.

251103UNEP_GreenadaptTrainingv15jm.pdf

Download PDF • 2.92MB

Who is it for?

Technicians and managers from local governments and public companies, consultants, water-waste and agribusiness professionals, NGOs, and academics who want to move from diagnostics to concrete projects with measurable results.

Skills and Learning Objectives

• Identify flows and critical points to close cycles and reduce emissions (CH₄, N₂O, CO₂e).

• Structure circular projects ready for financing, with estimated CAPEX/OPEX, expected greenhouse gas reduction, and a clear implementation roadmap.

• Apply essential tools for impact analysis: 5R hierarchy, basics of LCA/carbon footprint, quick emission calculations (e.g., methane in landfills/WWTPs), monitoring indicators (MRV), and risk assessment.

• Integrate nature-based solutions (NbS) and bioeconomy approaches in value chains such as coffee, sugarcane, cocoa, wine, or dairy, considering social inclusion and green jobs.

Final Course Product.

A roadmap for the transition to circularity for your city, company, or territory (one-pager + metrics dashboard) that prioritizes interventions, estimates GHG reductions, and defines next steps (financing, partnerships, and MRV).

Certificate of Participation

Upon completion, you will receive a certificate/confirmation of participation* issued by the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability (UPC) and Aarhus University, with the collaboration of UNEP and LIFE GreenAdapt.*

*Certification subject to a minimum of 80% attendance