On Wednesday (February12) — during the Meeting of New Mayors (Encontro de Novos Prefeitos e Prefeitas) in Brasilia — Brazil’s Federal Government launched its AdaptaCidades project through the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (Ministério do Meio Ambiente e Mudança do Clima/MMA). The project’s goal is to support states and municipalities with technical and financial resources so they may develop local and regional strategies and plans for climate adaptation — thus strengthening the profile of local governments in this arena.

Through AdaptaCidades we want to help mayors know where to ‘hit the nail on the head’. We are moving from disaster management to risk management” —

Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change

At the ceremony, representatives from eleven states — Alagoas, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Tocantins, Paraná — and the Federal District signed an expression of interest in joining the initiative. All states are eligible to participate. The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, emphasized that the Federal Government will lead the AdaptaCidades project by example. “With this initiative, we want to help mayors know where to ‘hit the nail on the head’. We are moving from disaster management to risk management,” she stated.

The Minister of Cities, Jader Filho, highlighted that financing is essential to making the climate change adaptation agenda feasible. “If we don’t have money in the budget, we won’t be able to develop adaptation actions. Prevention and adaptation must be a priority in this country,” he said.

The total investment for implementing AdaptaCidades amounts to BRL 18 million from the Green Climate Fund and other sources. The funds will help to hire mobilizers and facilitators for engagement and technical support, holding workshops and mentoring for state and municipal managers, producing and distributing technical materials and tools, and covering logistical costs for regional service and implementation of activities.

PRIORITIES — Each state must indicate ten priority municipalities with a high climate risk index. Intermunicipal consortia and associations of municipalities may also benefit from the program on an exceptional basis and upon recommendation by the states. The MMA will approve recommendations based on technical criteria, considering the climate risk and the number of people in situations of social vulnerability.

GOAL — Created by MMA Ordinance N. 1,256, AdaptaCidades will address two major bottlenecks in the development of local and regional plans for climate adaptation, essential for dealing with the impacts of global warming: the lack of technical capacity and financing. The Federal Government's goal is to assist in the development of 260 of these plans in 2025.

UNION — The governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande, emphasized that AdaptaCidades will help municipalities fulfill their role in tackling climate change. “Mayors have a lot to contribute in the fields of ​​adaptation or mitigation by, for example, controlling illegal deforestation,” he stated.

The President of the National Front of Mayors (Frente Nacional de Prefeitos), Edvaldo Nogueira, also highlighted the importance of mayors to climate action. “The climate has not been better debated because the discussion has remained in the sphere of global issues, of states and countries. Municipalities are now being called into this battle,” he pointed out.

TEAM — To engage states and municipalities, a team of mobilizers will be formed to provide technical and operational support during the preparation of the plans. The Federal Government will also provide digital and in-person training through workshops in states, distance learning on the platform of the National School of Public Administration (Escola Nacional de Administração Pública/ENAP), and online mentoring.

PARTICIPATORY PROCESS — AdaptaCidades was established within the scope of the Resilient Green Cities Program (Programa Cidades Verdes Resilientes), which strives to increase the environmental quality and resilience of Brazilian cities in the face of the impacts of climate change, and to integrate urban, environmental, and climate policies. The project is the result of a participatory process that considered contributions from four workshops held throughout 2024. The meetings were attended by federal, state, and municipal government representatives.

RESILIENCE — AdaptaCidades is one of the tools developed by MMA to encourage Brazil to build resilience in the face of the impacts of climate change, and the increase and intensity of extreme weather events — such as the drought that hit Brazil in 2024 and the severe rains that caused a tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul in May last year.

CLIMATE PLAN — The program is aligned with the Climate Plan, which will guide actions to combat climate change in Brazil until 2035. The plan’s pillars are focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and adapting natural and human systems to the impacts of climate change. In addition to the National Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies (Estratégias Nacionais de Mitigação e Adaptação), it will consist of sectoral plans: seven for mitigation and 16 for adaptation. The Climate Plan also includes Cross-Cutting Strategies for Climate Action (Estratégias Transversais para a Ação Climática) which will define means of implementation —such as financing, governance, and training— and measures for a just transition, among other elements. Furthermore, AdaptaCidades reinforces Brazil's commitment to Climate Federalism, as established in the Brazilian Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the country's climate target under the Paris Agreement.