Carla Gomes holds a PhD in International Development from the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom) and in Sociology of Environment and Territory by the University of Lisbon, in co-tutela, under the Doctoral Program on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies. The doctoral thesis, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal), analyzed the impacts of land concessions on rural communities in Mozambique from the perspective of environmental justice. Among other aspects, the study analyzed how these transformations in land use interfere with local practices and with the climatic resilience of populations.
She holds a Masters in Environmental Management and Policies from the University of Aveiro (Portugal). The master’s thesis gave rise to the book “Climate Change Clean Development: Cooperation between Portugal and the PALOP”, awarded and published by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2010. She is also graduated in Social Communication, specializing in Journalism, Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal.
She is currently involved in several projects to adapt to climate change at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ICS-ULisboa), with which she has collaborated since 2010 (Intermunicipal Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Algarve, Monitoring and Implementation of the Municipal Adaptation Strategy of the Municipality of Loulé). At ICS, she is part of the Research Group on Environment, Territory and Society and Observatory – Environment, Territory and Society Observatory. She was also part of the team of the interdisciplinary project on Climate, Coastal and Social Changes – glocal erosions, risk conceptions and sustainable solutions in Portugal (CHANGE, 2010-2013), financed by FCT (PTDC / CS-SOC / 100376/2008) and coordinated by ICS.
She began her career as a journalist, with specialization in the areas of environment and sustainability. She has written in several publications, such as the “Quercus Ambiente” and “Água & Ambiente” newspapers, and has also collaborated on editorial projects such as “Green China” magazine and “Quercus: 20 Anos”. She also held positions as a communications adviser in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Coordination and Development Commission (Ministry of the Environment), between 2007 and 2009, before dedicating herself fully to research in the social sciences and environment.
She is a member of the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research (UK), the Network of Environmental Studies in Portuguese Language Countries (REALP) and BRASPOR – Luso-Brazilian Network on Coastal Zones.
