Global Covenant of Mayors stresses the importance of Climate Adaptation Plans during the Climate Federalism Workshop in Brazil
March 20, 2024, Brasilia (Brazil) – This Tuesday and Wednesday, March 19 and 20, Brasilia hosted the first Climate Federalism Workshop: Integrating States and Municipalities for Adaptation in Brazil, with active participation from the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), which in Brazil has fundamental support from the European Union.
The event saw the participation of the Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, along with representatives from various Brazilian ministries; the director of the GCoM in the Americas, Hélinah Cardoso; and representatives from the National Coordinators of the GCoM in Brazil such as the Brazilian Association of Municipalities (ABM), the National Front of Mayors (FNP), the Alziras Institute, and ICLEI – SAMS. The main objective of the workshop was to engage various stakeholders in debates regarding the development of Brazil’s Climate Adaptation Plan, collecting crucial information for the implementation of Brazilian climate policy in the adaptation agenda.
Representing the Global Covenant of Mayors at this event was Hélinah Cardoso, regional director of the GCoM in the Americas, who highlighted the increasing involvement of cities in Latin America, being “the region where the GCoM is growing the most in terms of committed cities, and where we see an increasing number of cities developing Climate Action Plans and concrete projects.” Hélinah facilitated one of the three working groups on adaptation and cities, addressing the minimum components necessary to develop adaptation plans with Brazilian municipalities that are useful and implementable. She emphasized the importance of the GCoM’s Common Reporting Framework (CRF) as an essential mechanism to ensure common parameters, comparability, and transparency, and highlighted planning as a crucial tool for cities to address climate challenges.
Hélinah also emphasized Brazil’s diversity, with different city typologies and sizes, and the need for flexible and adaptable methodologies and processes. Additionally, she underscored the importance of developing indicators in the climate adaptation agenda. Comparing the local reality of Brazilian cities with those of developed countries, she commented on how Brazilian municipalities have made 70% more progress in adaptation than in mitigation, while in Europe, there is a perceived 400% more progress in the mitigation agenda. Hélinah pointed out how this could be a possible result of the exposure and vulnerability of Brazilian cities to climate change. However, she reminded that cities should not have to choose agendas, as there is an integration between mitigation and adaptation issues, and both need to be addressed in local plans and actions.
During the event’s opening, Gilmar Dominici, vice president of Institutional Relations of the Brazilian Association of Municipalities (ABM), one of the national coordinators of the GCoM in Brazil, emphasized that: “Brazil, being one of the largest federations in the world, needs to have a space for dialogue to address major national issues related to climate challenges.” In Brazil, national coordinators of the GCoM work in a National Advisory Committee, which facilitates multilevel governance among cities, states, and the country. Dominici also highlighted the GCoM’s work in Brazil, explaining that “ABM has been working for some time on actions aimed at implementing municipalities in relation to the climate issue, such as the partnership we have with the European Union through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.” The National Front of Mayors (FNP), another national coordinator of the GCoM in Brazil, was represented at the event by Axel Grael, Mayor of Niterói and also a representative of the Commission of Cities Affected or Subject to Disasters, who emphasized that “the climate issue demonstrates the importance of multilevel action.”
Marina Silva, Minister of State for Environment and Climate Change of Brazil, also highlighted the importance of Brazil’s federative system, stating that: “Brazil’s federative system should help not only in assigning climate competencies to municipalities but also in providing the means for the implementation of these policies.” In this context, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy plays a crucial role in providing support and guidance to cities, promoting cooperation between local and regional governments, and incentivizing the implementation of sustainable climate policies at the regional level for adaptation, mitigation, and climate action across Brazil.
The event saw the participation of various federal government institutions, including the Ministry of Environment (MMA), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), the Ministry of Cities, the Ministry of National Integration (MIDR), as well as organizations such as CDP Latin America, C40, ICLEI Americas, Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, in addition to city and state representatives.
About Brazil’s National Adaptation Plan:
Brazil’s National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNA), established on May 10, 2016, through Ordinance No. 150, is an instrument developed by the federal government in collaboration with civil society, the private sector, and state governments aimed at promoting the reduction of national vulnerability to climate change and managing the associated risks. The Brazilian Government is currently in the process of updating the PNA through the Climate Plan, seeking to align the National Plan with plans developed locally through initiatives such as the Global Covenant of Mayors.
About the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy:
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the world’s largest alliance of mayors and local authorities in climate action, representing a robust and historic response to climate change by cities worldwide. The GCoM is the largest global alliance for urban climate leadership, built on the commitment of over 13,000 municipalities and local governments. These cities come from six continents and 144 countries and together represent more than 1
