Climate projections for Brazil indicate an intensification of extreme weather events, which are triggering an increase in disasters and health crises as well as other significant effects on the population, ecosystems, infrastructure, and economy.  

According to the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM), 93% of Brazilian municipalities experienced some type of natural disaster between 2013 and 20224. The Digital Atlas of Disasters in Brazil shows a gradual increase in the frequency, diversity, and severity of such events over time. In 2023 alone, Brazil recorded over 5.000 disasters, predominantly comprising hydrological (e.g., floods, heavy rainfall, and flash floods) and climatological (e.g., droughts, heatwaves, and cold waves) events, which have affected more than 23 million people. More recently, between April and May 2024, severe flooding in the state Rio Grande do Sul impacted 478 municipalities, caused 183 fatalities, and resulted in financial losses of approximately R$ 4.6 billion.  

In this context, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), the Ministry of Cities (MCID), and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) are jointly developing the Resilient Green Cities Program (PCVR), a unified strategy that integrates urban, environmental, and climate policies. Within this framework, the AdaptaCidades initiative is being structured to lead and strengthen climate adaptation efforts. The project aims to enhance the capacity of subnational actors in adaptation planning while fostering greater collaboration between federal, state, and municipal authorities.  

The primary goal of this proposal is to implement the AdaptaCidades initiative to enhance climate adaptation policy at the subnational level in Brazil. By bolstering the capacities of states and municipalities to adapt to climate change, the initiative will enable them to align with the guidelines of Law 14.904/24, the NAP, and the PCVR.