Entre 2019 e 2021, Belo Horizonte e Recife participaram do projeto LEDS Lab, a fim de capacitar atores locais para a elaboração de projetos financiáveis de combate à crise climática a partir de experiências com projetos piloto. Os projetos de energia solar fotovoltaica e eficiência energética em edifícios públicos promoveram estratégias de desenvolvimento urbano de baixo carbono e resultaram em um modelo replicável para outros edifícios e cidades.

The LEDS Lab is a climate project funding laboratory, launched in 2019. Its objective is to enhance the capacity of municipalities to develop fundable projects, considering aspects of climate change mitigation and adaptation. The LEDS Lab is part of the Urban-LEDS II project, "Accelerating Climate Action through the Promotion of Low-Emission Urban Development Strategies," whose main objective is to make low-emission development strategies a fundamental part of urban policy and planning in cities.

The Urban-LEDS II project, funded by the European Commission and implemented by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability in partnership with UN-Habitat, is underway in eight countries (South Africa, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Laos, and Rwanda). In South America, it is being implemented in seven local governments in Colombia and in eight cities in Brazil.