Brazil, host of COP30 in 2025, works to accelerate adaptation actions aligned with the social agenda throughout the national territory. The new Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) starts this June the second cycle of the National Adaptation Plan (PNA), which has as guidelines the National Adaptation Policy and the Brazilian Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The goal is to reduce climate vulnerabilities by fighting social inequalities, engaging local governments and going beyond planning. The information was given by the General Coordinator of Adaptation Policies of the MMA, Inamara Melo, during the panel «Dialogues for Resilience with Mayors – Adaptation actions allied to risk management», at the 2nd National Meeting of ICLEI Brazil, which took place in Palmas, between June 6 and 8. The panel, formed exclusively by women (female mayors, deputy mayors and representatives of private enterprise and the third sector), was led by the Mayor of Palmas, Cinthia Ribeiro.
«Our Secretariat has set itself the mission of promoting an ambitious and urgent action to combat social inequalities. It is not possible to think about the climate agenda without thinking about the populations that suffer most from the impacts of climate change. We are fully energetic to move forward with the second cycle of the NAP, which will no longer be a planning, but an incorporation cycle. We need to review what was planned back then, understand what has not been implemented and, immediately, take impact actions for our society. And local governments are strategic. We need to guarantee this integrated effort», highlighted the General Coordinator of Adaptation Policies of the MMA.
The federal government’s strategy is in line with the actions supported by ICLEI. Ana Wernke, Institutional Relations and Advocacy Coordinator of ICLEI Brazil, highlighted that the organization, together with a wide network of strategic partners, supports local governments to prepare themselves to face the impacts of the climate crisis, both through mitigation and adaptation actions. Among the adaptation measures, she highlighted the technical support to member governments for the construction of Climate Action Plans (with mitigation and adaptation measures) and of Protection and Civil Defense Plans, and the Urban Infrastructure Insurance Facility (UIIF) Project. Led by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and financed by KfW Development Bank on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), UIIF is a project for the creation of climate insurance. The aim is for municipalities in Latin America and the Caribbean to have rapid access to resources to support the reconstruction of infrastructure in communities and vulnerable areas following disasters caused by extreme events. The first round of the project includes the cities of Recife (BR), Belo Horizonte (BR), Salvador (BR), Buenos Aires (ARG), Bogota (COL), Merida (Mex), Monterrey (Mex), Kingston (Jam) and San Jose (Costa Rica).
Another ICLEI-supported initiative with a focus on adaptation is Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The global alliance supports cities in implementing the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction. According to MCR2030 Regional Coordinator for the Americas and the Caribbean, Adriana Campelo, the goal is for all participating cities, about 1,500 worldwide, to have a disaster risk reduction plan. «We cannot control climate change. But if you know the risk in depth, you can control it. For this, we need to have disaggregated data – gender data, age data, data on people with disabilities, elderly people and various socioeconomic data – so that we can plan to include everyone, especially those who suffer most during disasters.”
In the Americas and Caribbean region, 740 cities are part of the MCR2030, of which seven are Resilience Hubs: Recife (BR), Salvador (BR), Campinas (BR), Medellin (COL), Bogota (COL), Dosquebradas (COL) and Mexico City (MEX). «We are going to 10 Hubs, with the inclusion of Quito (EC), Porto Alegre (BR) and Barcarena (BR), which will be a resilience centre for Amazonian cities», Adriana told. Barcarena, a city associated to ICLEI, has developed a strategy to manage its climate risks and reduce impacts, which includes the participation of the population and the analysis of vulnerabilities, an initiative implemented with the support of MCR2030. «Based on this analysis, we developed a solid risk reduction and resilience strategy, based on data and best practices with a focus on governance, knowledge management, sustainable urban development, energy transition, among other measures,» explained the Deputy Mayor of Barcarena, Cristina Vilaça.
Another ICLEI member city with model initiatives is Francisco Morato, located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. According to Mayor Renata Sene, in addition to expanding the formats of popular participation, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) permeate important public policies of the municipality. Among them, the Government Plan with goals 100% aligned with the SDGs; the transformation of Agenda 2030 into Municipal Law; the preparation of the Multi-Year Plan (PPA) with popular participation; the establishment of 21 Municipal Councils; and the preparation of community risk plans with community participation. Francisco Morato also concluded the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan, an initiative recognized by the European Union, through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), with the adaptation medal.
The GCoM is the world’s largest alliance of local governments voluntarily committed to tackling the climate crisis. With over 12,700 signatory cities, the project, funded by the European Union, promotes the exchange of experiences and ambitious sustainable actions to reduce the impacts of climate change and facilitates access to sustainable and affordable energy for all. In addition to Francisco Morato, other cities associated to ICLEI and committed to the GCoM were recognized in the adaptation category, from the reporting of actions on the CDP ICLEI Track platform: Palmas, Barcarena, Campinas, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Guarulhos, Rio Branco, Sorocaba, Manaus and João Pessoa, which also received a medal in the mitigation category.
The sense of urgency of the climate crisis is already established, recalled Suelma Rosa, Head of Reputation and Corporate Affairs Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean at Unilever. The executive defended three measures to accelerate the planet’s adaptation: the awareness that we need to have representation (female, racial, LGBTQIA+ and indigenous) in decision-making; the implementation of a regenerative agenda, especially in agriculture; and the need for action. «None of what we are talking about is possible without SDG 17 – with partnerships. We need everyone at the table and direct action: a new mode of production and a new mode of consumption so that these transformations towards a low-carbon, circular and regenerative economy can be effective and real.»
The panel also included the participation of the Mayor of Novo Hamburgo, Fatima Daudt, the Deputy Mayor of Salvador, Ana Paula Matos, and the Co-founder and Director of the Alziras Institute, Michelle Ferreti, who moderated the debate.
The 2nd National Meeting of ICLEI Brazil was a realization of ICLEI South America and the City of Palmas (TO), sponsored by Konrad Adenauer Foundation and CB27 Forum. It also had the partnership of MRV (ICLEI Partner in 2023), sponsorship of Enel X, BRK Ambiental and Energisa; and the institutional support of the European Union, through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM); Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative (MCR2030), ACA Brazil, CDP Latin America and the Palmas Lake Watershed Committee (CBHLP).
Text: Cibele Carneiro