Between June 11th and 13th, Campinas (SP) hosted the 2nd Southeast Regional Meeting of ICLEI Brazil, bringing together more than 500 participants from representatives of federal, state, and municipal governments; international organizations; experts; academia; the third sector; and civil society, in a mobilization around the climate agenda and sustainable urban development. The event consolidated itself as a strategic space for dialogue and cooperation to advance multilevel climate governance towards COP30.

The week full of activities in Campinas began on June 10th, with the holding of the 1st Participatory Workshop of the National Urban Afforestation Plan (PlaNAU) which aims  To expand tree planting in urban areas, promote biodiversity, improve quality of life, and address the climate emergency. With over 200 participants and representatives from approximately 70 cities in the Southeast region, the initiative is an integral part of the Resilient Green Cities Program (PCVR), coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) and implemented by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, in partnership with the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and with the support of educational and research institutions and the Brazilian Society of Urban Arboriculture (SBAU).

On June 11th, the AdaptaCidades Dialogue took place, focused on training and mobilizing local governments for urban climate adaptation. With support from the Ministries of Science, Technology and Innovation and Cities and the Environment, it seeks to strengthen climate adaptation and resilience policies, promoting integration and coordination between governments at the national and local levels. 

Another highlight was the Southeast Regional Meeting of the CB27 Forum, which brought together Secretaries of the Environment from the capitals of the Southeast region. The discussion focused on engagement towards COP 30, integrating the climate and biodiversity agendas and promoting alignment between these cities for climate and ecological actions. Berenice Domingues, Deputy National Coordinator of CB27, was present, as well as representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA) and cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Guarujá, Campinas and Pindamonhangaba.

Multilevel participation in the 2nd Southeast Regional Meeting

With approximately 60 speakers in attendance, the meeting included representatives from all levels of government—federal, state, and municipal—as well as institutions such as UN-Habitat, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), GIZ (the German agency for international cooperation for sustainable development), CDP, and various representatives from civil society, the private sector, academia, and the third sector. “This type of representation allows for coordination between sectors and drives concrete actions in favor of the climate and biodiversity agenda, such as the climate federalism agenda, which aims to strengthen cooperation between different federative entities so that they can develop more integrated and effective public policies for mitigating and adapting to climate change,” explains Rodrigo Perpétuo, Executive Secretary of ICLEI South America. 

The topic was extensively debated in the program through the participation of representatives such as Inamara Melo, Director of Policies for Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change at the Ministry of the Environment; Diogo Franco, Undersecretary of Environmental Management at the State Secretariat for the Environment of Minas Gerais; and Natália Resende, Secretary of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics of the State of São Paulo, in the panel “Climate Federalism: Adaptation from a Multilevel Perspective”.

In total, seven technical lectures were held with the aim of deepening debates and strengthening capacities for the implementation of public policies focused on the climate and biodiversity agenda in Brazilian municipalities, addressing topics such as climate finance, nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, territorial governance, and resilient urban planning. The keynote lecture, given by Thelma Krug, senior researcher at INPE, for example, offered a reflection on "Local Climate Action as a Pillar for a Resilient and Equitable Future in Brazil," highlighting the strategic role of Brazilian cities in achieving national climate mitigation and adaptation goals and conveying as a key message the relevance of public policies based on scientific research. 

The mayor of Campinas, Dário Saadi, attended the event and participated in the panel “Nature-based adaptation: the central role of biodiversity for urban resilience” alongside Rodrigo Corradi, Director of ICLEI Brazil; Professor Carlos Alfredo Joly (UNICAMP/IPBES); with emphasis on international experience through the contributions of Paula Palacio, Director of the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley (Medellín); Felipe Ehmke, Director of Climate Change in Curitiba; and Rodrigo Ashiuchi, Municipal Secretary of Green and Environment of São Paulo. The debate focused on the crucial role of local governments in implementing strategies to integrate biodiversity into urban planning, promote ecosystem restoration, and engage local communities in nature protection.

Another highlight was the panel discussion “From COP16 to COP30: Intersections between the Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation Agendas,” moderated by Rodrigo Perpétuo, Executive Secretary of ICLEI South America, which included an introduction by Cristiana Seixas (UNICAMP/IPBES) and the participation of Maurício Guerra, Director of Urban Environment at the MMA; Rogério Gutierrez, Director of the ANDUS Project; Luiz Gustavo Gallo Vilela, Program Coordinator at UN-Habitat; and Hélinah Cardoso, Senior Advisor for Latin America at the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. The panel also featured practical experiences applied in the city of Campinas, with contributions from Carla Camarneiro, Environmental Engineer at the Municipality of Campinas, and Ângela Guirao, Biologist at the Municipality of Campinas.

Climate finance and the role of the private sector in the climate agenda.

Among the priority themes on the COP 30 agenda is climate finance, focusing on the need to expand financial resources allocated to climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially for developing countries, which face greater challenges in implementing effective actions. The panel “Pathways to Financing the Implementation of Local and Global Climate and Biodiversity Agendas” discussed financing strategies and international cooperation, with participation from the Brazilian Development Association (ABDE), the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV), and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES). The event also marked the... Launch of the call for projects for TAP Brazil. and the signing of the agreement for ABDE's support of the ICLEI meetings.

Next, the role of the private sector in promoting sustainable policies and fostering innovative measures was discussed in the panel “Contributions of the private sector to the climate agenda,” moderated by Ana Wernke, Institutional Representative of ICLEI in the State of São Paulo, with speeches by Ricardo de Figueiredo, Executive Director of NetZero; Maria Luiza Maia, Senior Sustainability Analyst at MRV; and considerations by Maria Clara Nascimento (CDP) and Mário Jorge Lançone (Campinas City Hall).

Climate justice and youth empowerment

When discussing how to address climate change, it is essential to incorporate the perspective of climate justice, recognizing the aspects of rights and equity as fundamental to accelerating decarbonization and aligning urban development with climate goals at multiple levels, promoting a more just and sustainable future. During the meeting, the topic was addressed with the participation of Braulio Diaz (High-Level Climate Champions), Amanda Costa (Instituto Perifa Sustentável), and representatives from the municipalities of Contagem, Itabirito, Osasco, and Campinas. “We need to bring climate justice into action, into practice, into our projects and policies, and into our society,” concluded Amanda Costa after presenting a guide developed by Perifa Sustentável that teaches how to conduct climate policy advocacy in practice.

During the closing of the Meeting, ICLEI South America and the City of Campinas announced the winners of the public call for proposals "Mutirão pelo Clima" (Climate Task Force), an initiative that recognizes and strengthens youth-led projects focused on climate adaptation and resilience building, in line with the latest letters from the COP 30 Presidency in Brazil, which propose self-determined contributions as a complement to the NDCs of the Paris Agreement. 

Three initiatives were recognized: “Women Feeding Cities,” created in Itatinga and reformulated in Piracicaba, promotes income, food assistance, and training for women in vulnerable situations; “Health Education for Elderly People Facing Heat Waves,” carried out in Campinas, offered self-care and prevention workshops to 102 elderly people from vulnerable areas; and “Environmental Education at ETECAP,” conducted by students and teachers from ETECAP (Campinas), involves environmental recovery, recycling, and awareness about climate change. The award gave visibility to transformative solutions that reflect the knowledge, diversity, and strength of young people in the face of the climate crisis.

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The event also marked the launch of ICLEI's partnership with the iSocial Institute, which works to promote social inclusion through technology, data science, and territorial intelligence, focusing on generating innovative solutions for public policies. The partnership culminated in the development of an integrated and collaborative climate education platform that calculates individual carbon footprints and seeks to promote behavioral change through environmental education. In this way, it uses elements of games and challenges to engage the school and municipal community in pro-environmental actions in a fun and engaging way.

The symbolic delivery of Pindamonhangaba's Climate Action Plan also took place during the Meeting, with the presence of Rafael Lamana, Secretary of the Environment of Pindamonhangaba, and Alexandre Pereira Costa, Secretary of Communication and Events of the municipality. With the launch of the Pinda ProClima Climate Action Plan, the city formalizes its commitment to strategic actions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, increase urban resilience in the face of climate change, and promote environmental justice and social inclusion.

Technical Visits

Held on the final day of the 2nd ICLEI Southeast Regional Meeting, the technical visits in Campinas presented participants with distinct yet complementary local initiatives that demonstrate the potential of municipal actions to boost sustainable urban development. One group visited the Area of Relevant Ecological Interest (ARIE) Mata de Santa Genebra, the largest remaining fragment of Atlantic Forest in the Campinas Metropolitan Region and one of the main urban forests in Brazil. The activity highlighted the work of the José Pedro de Oliveira Foundation with management, conservation, and environmental education actions, including ecological trails, a native seedling nursery, a meliponary, and a butterfly garden—reinforcing the importance of preserving natural resources and ecosystem services in urban areas.

The second group visited the Sustainable Green Plant, a benchmark in circular economy and organic waste management. There, participants observed the stages of the thermophilic composting process, which transforms urban pruning waste and leftover food from Ceasa Campinas into high-quality organic fertilizer. This initiative demonstrates how well-structured public policies can generate environmental, social, and economic solutions by reducing waste sent to landfills and valorizing organic materials on a large scale. The technical visits broadened the perspective of public managers, technicians, and specialists on integrated and effective solutions, aligned with the Meeting's proposal to inspire new initiatives and strengthen the capacity of local governments in building more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities.

Campinas Letter

The 2nd ICLEI Southeast Regional Meeting culminated in the drafting of Campinas Letter, This document will be presented at the 30th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 30), which will take place in November in Belém, Pará. The Charter proposes the structural foundations for Brazil's climate action leading up to COP 30. The document will be revised, but in general terms, it proposes the following:

– Integration between biodiversity and climate agendas: prioritize the intersection of these agendas, articulating the commitments of COPs 16 and 30, through Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) approaches to promote the conservation and protection of biodiversity and the achievement of adaptation and mitigation goals.

– Reconnecting citizens to nature: climate education as a public policy for transformative change that promotes the reconnection of citizens to nature, a sense of belonging to the community and territory, and changes in consumption habits, which are essential for addressing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

– Climate justice as a structuring axis: prioritizing the integration of the most affected communities in the planning and implementation of the climate agenda, supporting climate action and empowerment projects, and recognizing the leading role of children and youth leaders, women, Black people, Indigenous people, Quilombola people, traditional communities, and marginalized groups, at different levels of vulnerability. Equity and intergenerational dialogue should be principles of climate action.

– Valuing local knowledge and solutions: fostering technologies and practices that value and incorporate local, ancestral, and traditional knowledge, promote the circular economy, and strengthen urban adaptation and resilience.

– Climate action rooted in urban peripheries: Recognizing the peripheries and informal territories as essential spaces for the effectiveness of the climate agenda.

– The cross-cutting nature of the climate agenda in local public policies: integrating mitigation, adaptation, and resilience actions into territorial planning instruments, and into social, technological innovation, education, health, and job and income generation policies, with the goal of guaranteeing the protection of life.

– Climate federalism in practice: strengthening coordinated action between the federal government, states, metropolitan regions, and municipalities to structure guidelines, goals, instruments, and indicators that enable the implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation projects based on ecosystem services and that incorporate Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).

– Multilevel cooperation: building and strengthening partnerships between governments, academia, private actors, international organizations, and civil society, with the goal of consolidating multilevel and multisectoral governance that enhances the implementation and dissemination of a unified local and global climate and biodiversity agenda.

– Expanding access to climate finance mechanisms: ensuring specific conditions for local governments, such as encouraging non-repayable funding mechanisms, ensuring that financial responsibility for climate action does not fall disproportionately on states and municipalities, especially those with less fiscal capacity and greater vulnerability.

– To strengthen the institutional and operational capacity of municipalities to attract, execute, and monitor projects aligned with their realities. The importance of defining climate finance strategies for subnational governments is highlighted, including promoting and incorporating them into multi-year plans, annual budgets, and budget guidelines, to provide resources for implementing climate actions.