COP30 President-Designate’s Vision for a Global Climate Mutirão

ANJAN SARMA

In his inaugural letter to member states, released on March 10, 2025, André Corrêa do Lago, the President-Designate of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), calls for a global Mutirão—a Brazilian term rooted in indigenous traditions, symbolizing collective action and community effort.

As the world approaches COP30 in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025, and the preparatory June Climate Meetings (SB62) in Bonn from June 16 to 26, Corrêa do Lago outlines a vision to transform climate negotiations into a unified, inclusive, and action-oriented global response to the escalating climate crisis.

A Call for Collective Responsibility

Drawing on the Brazilian indigenous concept of Mutirão (or Motirõ in Tupi-Guarani), Corrêa do Lago invites nations, financial institutions, subnational governments, private sectors, academia, and civil society to join a global effort against climate change. This concept, which reflects communities coming together for shared tasks like harvesting or building, underscores his vision for COP30 as a turning point in global climate action.

He emphasizes that the climate crisis, now at humanity’s doorstep, demands a collective “responsibility-ability” to act swiftly and decisively. The letter highlights the urgency of this moment, noting that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and January 2025 marking the warmest month ever recorded.

Corrêa do Lago frames COP30 as a historic milestone, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force and the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Hosted in Belém, at the gateway to the Amazon—a vital ecosystem at risk of an irreversible tipping point—the conference is poised to be a pivotal moment for assessing progress and setting ambitious new targets.

Three Interconnected Priorities

The letter articulates three core priorities to guide the path to COP30 and beyond:

Reinforcing Multilateralism and the UNFCCC Process
Corrêa do Lago underscores the importance of strengthening the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the cornerstone of multilateral climate governance. He reflects on the UNFCCC’s establishment in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, which defined five pillars—mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, and capacity-building—to address climate change as a “common concern for humanity.” Amid global geopolitical challenges, including the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement initiated in January 2025, he stresses that multilateralism is the only viable path to ensure no nation is left behind. The letter calls for a “Presidency Circle” involving past COP presidencies (from COP21 to COP29) to ensure continuity and for integration with the Biodiversity (CBD) and Desertification (UNCCD) conventions to foster synergies.
Connecting the Climate Process to People’s Real Lives
The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but a reality affecting daily lives through extreme weather, displacement, and economic disruption. Corrêa do Lago advocates for making climate action tangible by prioritizing adaptation, supporting vulnerable populations, and integrating voices from Indigenous and marginalized communities. He proposes an “Indigenous Leadership Circle” to incorporate traditional knowledge into mitigation and adaptation strategies and calls for a “global ethical stocktake” involving thinkers, scientists, policymakers, and religious leaders to reframe climate action as a human-centered endeavor. This priority aims to bridge the gap between high-level negotiations and the needs of communities facing floods, droughts, and wildfires, such as those in Brazil’s Amazon and Rio Grande do Sul in 2024.
Accelerating the Implementation of the Paris Agreement
With the Paris Agreement’s 10th anniversary in 2025, Corrêa do Lago urges countries to submit ambitious new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) before COP30 to keep the 1.5°C target within reach. He emphasizes scaling up climate finance, particularly through the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap, which aims to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for developing countries. The letter also highlights the need to reform Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to make climate finance more accessible, reduce structural barriers like high capital costs, and prioritize adaptation alongside mitigation. Specific initiatives include advancing the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund, and launching a Technology Implementation Program to strengthen the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism.

Addressing the Climate Emergency

The letter confronts the stark reality of the climate crisis, citing the Financial Stability Board’s January 2025 report that climate shocks threaten global financial stability. Corrêa do Lago warns of the Amazon’s vulnerability, noting its risk of reaching an irreversible tipping point, which makes Belém a symbolically and practically significant venue for COP30. He calls for a “Baku Climate Unity Pact” to build on COP29 outcomes and stresses the need for concrete actions, such as implementing the Global Stocktake (GST) decisions and strengthening the Mitigation Work Program (MWP) through a digital platform to facilitate investments.

Notably, the letter has drawn criticism for not explicitly addressing the phase-out of fossil fuels, which contribute three-quarters of global emissions. The Climate Observatory, a Brazilian NGO network, argues that defeating the climate emergency requires a clear commitment to transitioning away from oil, gas, and coal—a point absent from the letter’s priorities. Despite this, Corrêa do Lago’s call for a “global task force” against climate change signals an intent to engage stakeholders beyond governments, including the private sector and civil society, to drive systemic change.

Brazil’s Leadership and Global Cooperation

Corrêa do Lago’s vision is deeply informed by Brazil’s constitutional principles, established in 1988, which emphasize cooperation among peoples, social justice, and sustainable development. He positions Brazil as a leader in climate diplomacy, building on its legacy from Eco-92 and Rio+20. The letter highlights partnerships, such as the collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies announced on April 29, 2025, to mobilize local leaders, financial institutions, and civil society for clean energy innovation and climate resilience. This partnership aims to support the global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 and halting deforestation, aligning with Brazil’s strengths in renewable energy and biofuels.

The letter also addresses the need to combat climate misinformation and ensure that COP30 delivers a “granary of solutions” through the COP30 Action Agenda, which will scale up climate action, technology, and finance. By fostering dialogue and mobilizing grassroots organizations, Corrêa do Lago seeks to make COP30 a catalyst for a new decade of climate ambition.

Mahabahu Climate Forum

A Defining Moment for Climate Action

As the world prepares for COP30, Corrêa do Lago’s letter serves as both a call to action and a strategic roadmap. By invoking the Mutirão, he emphasizes that no single nation or sector can tackle climate change alone. The conference in Belém offers a unique opportunity to center the Amazon’s needs, amplify marginalized voices, and translate global commitments into concrete outcomes. Despite challenges, such as aligning developed and developing countries on climate finance and navigating geopolitical setbacks, the letter exudes hope and determination to make COP30 a turning point in the fight against climate change.

For the full text of the letter, visit:

https://bit.ly/4jha4Aa.

As we approach the June Climate Meetings and COP30, Corrêa do Lago’s vision of a global Mutirão challenges the international community to unite, innovate, and act with urgency to secure a sustainable future for all.

27-05-2025

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