Climate Agenda: proposals under debate during COP30 (11/10 to 11/21)

    In Belém do Pará, the debate continues on initiatives to curb the increase in the planet's average temperature and raise awareness about the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which began on the 10th and runs until the 21st of this month, brings together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and representatives of civil society in general in a collaborative effort to ensure that the planet's average temperature does not exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Regulation for Climate Adaptation

    In its first days, COP30 presented proposals brought by the participating institutions and representatives for the Climate Plan actions, initiated by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, MMA, discussing its implementation, addressing Climate Governance, and the Climate Caucus highlighted the importance of the legislative branch in defining specific regulatory laws leading the climate adaptation of cities], and on the second day of the event, 11/11, the Brazilian Council of Municipal Environmental Secretaries, CB27 continued the debate on good practices beyond the Union's scope for climate mitigation and adaptation.

Biodiversity

    On 11/12, the judiciary came into the spotlight regarding legal protection against deforestation and support for communities affected by climate change, with the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment proposing strategies to the judicial system for the implementation of the Climate Plan in combating deforestation, and the Public Defense Office of the State of Pará advocating for the role of public defenders in promoting climate justice through institutional cooperation in combating deforestation, protecting biodiversity in rural areas, and defending vulnerable urban communities against climate change, while the Attorney General's Office proposed cooperation between the legislative and executive branches through Sustainable Public Procurement. On 11/13, the body revisited the legislative issue with a pact for ecological transformation in the country, while the Chamber of Deputies defined the role of parliament in the agenda for implementing the NDCs. The institution Conectas Human Rights emphasized the need to safeguard human rights during the race for energy transition.

    The role of biodiversity in climate change adaptation was the main reason for choosing Brazil as the host of this year's COP and it was discussed on its first day by the State Environmental Institute, with a proposal for nature-based solutions. Ecosystem-based adaptation, which connects biodiversity, climate, and development in South America, was proposed on the second day 11/11, by ICLEI South America.

Subnational Participation

    In recent days, a debate has emerged on good practices beyond the Union's sphere for delegating climate adaptation to States and Municipalities, with the National Front of Mayors highlighting the importance of local action from territories for global impact, proposing municipal and multi-sectoral coordination for Climate Action, with the strengthening of the Role of Subnational Governments in International Climate Governance.

    The debate on the urban issue was initiated right on Day 1 of COP30, with solutions involving planning and the adaptation of existing structures; the Ministry of Cities and the MMA discussed the implementation of climate adaptation in cities aimed at transforming them to face urban heat. On Day 2, Itaipu Binational revisited the topic of Resilient Cities, highlighting inclusion as an ally in tackling the Climate Crisis. The Municipal Government of Fortaleza proposed using the Cities in Network project, incorporating the local governments of Brazilian cities that are members of the C40 Global Network to discuss strategies for accelerating and scaling up climate implementation. The Ministry of the Environment (MMA) proposed engaging society in Brazil's adaptation agenda through the Adapta Cidades project. On November 13, it was mentioned again as an example proposed by the MMA for Multilevel Climate Governance in adaptation, and the Brazil Climate Center presented the Territories in Transition project, aiming for a just transition as a path to sustainable development in coal-producing regions.