By Anders Lorenzen

Last week, days before the beginning of the UN climate talks, COP30, national and global partners joined forces to help accelerate urban climate solutions in Brazilian cities.

The government of Brazil, Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities, and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) could announce the initiative with the aim of helping 50 cities in Brazil implement climate projects by 2027.

The focus of the initiative is to adopt multilevel climate implementation by developing ambitious local sustainable transport as well as low-methane waste management projects that are linked to federal government programmes and support.

Laying the groundwork for future projects

The state that hosts this year’s summit and houses the world’s largest tropical rainforest Amazonas, is one of the largest benefactors with communities due to receive direct support via their initial Climate Action Plans. It is expected that this would lay the groundwork for future projects that would qualify by being listed as their communities’ most urgent climate challenges.

In addition to the main partners, the projects will be delivered and made possible by a broad coalition of Brazilian national partners.

The aims and deliverables of the projects

Some of the key expected outcomes of the projects include, a national AI-supported platform providing emissions data, risk profiles, and vulnerability assessments for all +5,570 Brazilian municipalities, identifying a portfolio of at least 20 mitigation projects that focus sustainable transport and waste management, an acceleration of climate action and governance in the Amazon, mobilising over 100 cities for peer-to-peer learning and exchange using federal and state governments on climate project development, and Contribution to the “era of implementation” of the Paris Agreement, positioning Brazil as a global leader in multilevel climate governance.

“Cities and states can lead the way on climate action”

The founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Michael Bloomberg, who also serves as a UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, said about the project, “Mayors and governors are showing the world that cities and states can lead the way when it comes to fighting climate change. This investment will unlock new opportunities for leaders – in Brazil and around the world – as they partner with national governments, scale data-driven, proven solutions that cut emissions, and build a stronger and healthier world.”

C40 Cities Executive Director, Mark Watts, added, “Brazil’s mayors have ambition and vision, and are showing the world how local action drives national and global goals. This investment will accelerate delivery, from deploying e-buses to cutting methane from waste whilst improving people’s daily lives.”

From the Brazilian Government, Minister of Cities Jader Barbalho Filho explained why this project is crucial: “Cities are where the effects of climate change are felt the most. Cities are where we can make the greatest advances in resilience. This program will help us, at COP30, to leave a lasting legacy of decarbonization and urban adaptation to the effects of climate change.”

COP30 is scheduled to run from the 10th to the 21st of November. You can find all the latest coverage, updates, and watch it live via our COP30 Hub.