C40 Cities and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) have announced a new initiative to accelerate climate action across Brazil.
As part of the first phase of the Brazil Mutirão Program, 34 cities and two states in Brazil have been selected to receive technical and finance-structuring support for climate action projects, with the aim of helping local governments turn climate commitments into implementation-ready projects by next year.
The selected projects will mainly focus on urban mobility, waste management, and climate budgeting, with 11 of the targeted cities located in the Amazon region. Six of these cities – Barcarena, Altamira, Cáceres, Boa Vista, Parintins, and Rio Branco – will also receive support to develop climate action plans.
The initiative was unveiled during the General Assembly of the National Front of Mayors in Curitiba (pictured). Among the selected cities are Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Fortaleza, Belo Horizonte, and Belém, the latter of which hosted COP30 last year. The two states selected included Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Sul.
‘Economic opportunity’
“Cities continue to make important strides fighting climate change, and Brazilian mayors are helping to lead the way with projects that cut emissions, strengthen local infrastructure, and create economic opportunity for communities,” commented Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“By providing cities and states with technical support and data, and by building partnerships across all levels of government, this initiative can help Brazil speed up progress and offer a blueprint that countries around the world can follow.”
Among the urban mobility initiatives are the development of around 600 electric buses, more than 200 kilometres of cycling infrastructure, nine complete streets or urban parks, and the revitalisation of at least three neighbourhoods.
Waste management projects will support the treatment of approximately 20,000 tonnes of organic waste per year, potentially avoiding up to 35,000 tonnes of CO₂e in methane emissions annually.
‘Bold ideas’
“Mayors across Brazil are stepping up with bold ideas to tackle the climate crisis while improving everyday life for their residents,” added Mark Watts, executive director of C40 Cities. “The Brazil Mutirão Program is about connecting cities with the technical expertise and partnerships to accelerate plans into action, from cleaner transport systems to smarter waste solutions.
“By backing city leadership, Brazil is helping demonstrate how local action can drive national and global climate progress.”
The Brazil Mutirão Program builds on the broader goals of the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP), an initiative launched at COP28 to strengthen collaboration between national governments and local authorities in delivering climate action. Read more here.
