AMAZON DAY: CLIMATE ACTION IN BRAZIL’S MOST IMPORTANT BIOME STARTS IN CITIES
Supported by the Mutirão Brasil program, Amazonian municipalities are building climate plans and concrete projects through an unprecedented partnership between local governments, the Federal Government, and national and international networks
On September 5th, Brazil celebrates Amazon Day, a commemorative date to raise global awareness of the importance of preserving the planet’s largest tropical rainforest. Protecting the Amazon goes far beyond combating deforestation which, in 2026, reached the lowest level of deforestation alerts in the historical series of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe). Protecting the Amazon also depends on the region’s cities, where millions of people live and where decisions about infrastructure, public services, waste, mobility, and economic development help determine how territories will respond to climate change.
Since COP30, held last year in Belém, the Mutirão Brasil Program — a joint initiative of the global city networks C40 Cities and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) — has been supporting 11 Amazonian cities across different fronts of climate action, combining planning, strengthening of public management, and the development of concrete solutions.
Among the cities supported in the Amazon region are Altamira, Barcarena, Boa Vista, Cáceres, Parintins, and Rio Branco, which are strengthening their climate governance and developing Local Climate Action Plans (PLACs). These plans help municipalities understand the risks they face, identify their main sources of emissions, and set priorities to reduce these impacts and prepare cities for a changing climate.
Other Amazonian cities are advancing specific projects within the program. Rio Branco and Benevides are working on structuring organic waste management initiatives, focused on reducing methane emissions and promoting the circular economy. Belém and Porto Velho are advancing sustainable urban mobility projects, including public transport improvements and fleet electrification.
Hélinah Cardoso, Engagement Lead for the Mutirão C40 x GCoM Program, states:
“The result is action that spans from planning to concrete implementation: understanding each city’s challenges, setting priorities, and creating the conditions for solutions to be developed and implemented according to the reality of each Amazonian territory. This work is being carried out by many hands: partners such as the National Front of Mayors and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability make the process faster and more effective.”
A legacy of COP30, the initiative is part of the cooperation legacy built around COP30 and shows how this effort can continue after the conference: bringing together national and local governments, technical knowledge, and territorial needs to turn climate commitments into real action in Brazilian cities. The program works in close coordination with Federal Government partners, including the Ministry of Cities, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the COP30 Presidency, and the Council of the Federation.
Belén Jiménez, Senior Engagement Manager at GCoM, states:
“The Amazon is at the center of the global climate agenda, but its transformation also depends on cities’ capacity to plan and act. It is in municipalities that decisions about infrastructure, public services, and development take shape and directly affect people’s lives.”
When technology helps cities plan better
One of the tools helping accelerate this process is the Climate Compass, an artificial intelligence-based platform developed by C40 Cities and GCoM that combines climate data, information on emissions and local risks, and artificial intelligence to help municipalities identify and prioritize climate actions. The initiative was developed with 50 Brazilian municipalities and also connected a public database of climate information for cities across the country. Each municipality can use the data available on the platform to understand its main risks and opportunities and find actions that make sense for its own reality.
Rio Branco, in the state of Acre, is an example of how this approach is being applied in the Amazon. The Climate Compass is supporting the structuring of the municipal climate plan, helping the city prioritize actions based on the risks and opportunities identified in its territory. The tool also shows how technological innovation can help democratize access to climate data. Developed with a methodology adapted to Brazil’s reality, the platform cross-references emissions profiles, risks, and vulnerabilities with mitigation and adaptation actions to support local decision-making.
For Sandino Lamarca, Senior Data Manager at C40 and GCoM, advancing climate action in cities also depends on expanding access to data and tools that allow governments to make more informed decisions:
“With easy access to information, data, and new technologies, cities can turn the complexity of climate challenges into clearer decisions about where and how to act. The Climate Compass is part of this effort: helping municipalities understand their risks, identify opportunities, and prioritize actions according to their own reality. The goal is for climate planning to stop being just a diagnosis and become a tool to guide decisions and transform public policy.”
About Mutirão Brasil:
The Mutirão Brasil Program is a strategic initiative of C40 Cities and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), which seeks to accelerate the implementation of climate action in Brazilian cities through cooperation between local governments, the national government, and international partners.
Launched in the context of Brazil’s climate leadership and the COP30 presidency, the program turns climate ambition into concrete results, strengthening the conditions needed for cities to develop and advance high-impact projects. The initiative supports over 50 Brazilian municipalities and states in developing 20 finance-ready projects in the areas of sustainable urban mobility and waste management, as well as climate planning in the Amazon, while also mobilizing cross-cutting support in climate finance, data access, climate diplomacy, climate budgeting, and inclusive climate action.
The Mutirão Brasil Program demonstrates how multilevel partnerships between national and local governments accelerate the implementation of climate action where it matters most: in cities — positioning Brazil as a global reference for multilevel climate governance and implementation at scale by 2027.
The National Front of Mayors (FNP) acts as a facilitating partner of the program, strengthening coordination with municipal leaders across the country. Mutirão Brasil is implemented in collaboration with a broad coalition of technical partners, including WRI Brasil, ICCT, Instituto 17 + Instituto Pólis (i17), the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance / Climate Policy Initiative (CCFLA / CPI), the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), ICLEI South America, the Brazilian Council for Sustainable Construction (CBC), and the Brazilian Association of Municipalities (ABM).
The program also has strategic coordination with the Ministry of Cities (MCID), the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), the COP30 Presidency, the Council of the Federation, the Civil House, and other Federal Government ministries, strengthening cooperation between different levels of government to accelerate climate action across the territory.
