1 “What types of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies are being considered or implemented in Rio de Janeiro?” Author: Charles Laffiteau Introduction As the host city for both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, theory suggests that, based on the experience of Beijing and China when it hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Brazilian national government, as well as the state and municipal governments of Rio de Janeiro, will be expending considerable capital on the sports infrastructure required to host these major sporting events. But just as the governments of China and Beijing also made large expenditures on improving urban transportation and reducing harmful air pollutants, so too will the governments of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro also have to make similar investments in order to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of urban pollution on the health and well being of both athletes and spectators. Furthermore Rio de Janeiro will also have to beef up its disaster preparedness planning in order to avoid the potential negative fallout on tourism that would result from a catastrophic weather event before or during these major international sporting events. A flooding event similar to those which have recently affected Bangkok and Mumbai would be disastrous not only for the city’s slum dwellers, but also for the general public’s and the rest of the world’s international image of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. This leads to me to my development case study research question which is “What types of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies and strategies are being considered or implemented in Rio de Janeiro? The importance of this question is due to the fact that up until recently, the emphasis of public policy in Brazil and most of the developing world has largely been on economic growth and sustainability. But as necessary as these economic development efforts are, it is clear that more attention needs to be given to adaptation to the climatic changes that are already underway