Belém’s Mutirão Approach Aims to Turn Climate Tide

Fishermen on the banks of the river Yamuna, surrounded by clouds of toxic foam on the water surface.

Mutirão first entered the global climate discourse through Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago’s first letter to the world, sent in March 2025 as part of his COP30 presidency.

“The Brazilian culture inherited from native Indigenous peoples the concept of Mutirão, or Motirô in the Tupi-Guarani language. It refers to a community coming together to work on a shared task—whether harvesting, building, or supporting one another,” he wrote.

As a nation passionate about football, he assured the world that the global community can win the climate fight through “virada,” meaning “fighting back to turn the game around when defeat seems almost certain.” Delegates say the COP30 Mutirão approach, inspired by Brazilian traditions of collective problem-solving, is well suited to escalating climate challenges.

Importantly, Brazil has placed the ocean as an emerging priority. The Mutirão approach for COP30’s oceans plan is a collaborative, action-driven strategy emphasising the ocean’s central role in climate change, shifting the focus from negotiation to implementation.

The plan—called Mutirão Azul, or the Blue Collective Effort—integrates solutions for oceans, cities, water, and infrastructure. It encourages participation from governments, businesses, and communities to generate tangible ocean-focused climate actions and commitments. The Mutirão spirit is now set to shape international efforts to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

“I research physical oceanography and energy in the climate system. What we would like to see from this COP is more focus on blue climate solutions,” says Kerstin Bergentz from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego.

She told IPS that if the world were to implement all existing blue climate solutions—such as protecting mangroves, restoring wetlands, investing in blue carbon across forms and scales, and advancing marine carbon dioxide removal—these measures could provide 35 percent of the emission reductions needed by 2050 to keep global warming within 1.5°C.

“Unfortunately, climate funding for ocean projects and ocean-based solutions is currently less than 1 percent. We need more focus on the ocean because the future is not just green—it is also blue.”

Anya Stajner, also from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said the ocean covers “over two-thirds of our planet and should no longer be a side conversation during negotiations. The ocean plays a critical climate-regulating role. It absorbs up to 90 percent of excess atmospheric heat, keeping Earth roughly 55 degrees cooler than it would otherwise be.”

Ocean currents—the “great ocean conveyor belt”—move warm water toward the poles and cold water toward the equator, distributing heat and moderating global climate. Without this system, temperature extremes would be far more severe.

“Some students at Scripps analysed how often oceans are mentioned in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)—countries’ plans to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts,” she said. “They found that while references have increased in the past five years, oceans still remain far from central in these discussions.”

The Belém climate talks could shift this trajectory. The Brazilian Presidency’s appointment of Marinez Scherer as Special Envoy for Oceans and the adoption of the Mutirão framework are helping move oceans closer to the centre of global climate diplomacy.

At COP30, the ocean is increasingly positioned as a key partner in mitigation and adaptation, especially for vulnerable coastal and island nations on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Ocean financing is a major focus, aiming to secure predictable, accessible, and targeted funding for ocean-based climate solutions and the sustainable blue economy. Key goals include creating dedicated financing windows, integrating ocean health into national climate plans or Blue NDCs, and mobilising both public and private investment for ocean-focused mitigation, adaptation, and scientific research.

Blue NDCs are national climate plans that explicitly integrate ocean-based solutions. The concept emerged from the Blue NDC Challenge, launched by Brazil and France at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025, encouraging countries to include ocean-focused climate actions ahead of COP30. These actions range from restoring coastal ecosystems to promoting ocean renewable energy and adapting maritime industries.

Eleven countries—Brazil, France, Australia, Chile, Fiji, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Palau, Seychelles and the United Kingdom—have already committed to the Blue NDC Challenge. NDCs, whether blue or green, remain the core mechanism through which nations pursue climate targets under the Paris Agreement.

As of the opening of COP30 in Belém on 10 November 2025, more than 100 countries representing at least 70 percent of global emissions had submitted new NDCs. Among the G20, 12 nations have tabled updated commitments.

Blue NDCs particularly support integrating the ocean into national climate planning, advancing initiatives such as the Mangrove Breakthrough and strengthening governance through frameworks like the BBNJ Agreement.

The BBNJ (High Seas) Agreement—adopted in 2023—is a legally binding treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. It will enter into force in early 2026 after securing 60 ratifications.

At COP30, it is the most concrete ocean-related item under negotiation, and Brazil has pledged to ratify it by year’s end. The treaty establishes global rules for marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments, and the fair sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources.

“The High Seas Treaty is a win for multilateralism because it enables governments to work together to protect vast areas beyond national waters,” Stajner said. “There has been a lot of talk at past COPs, and now it’s time for action. The High Seas Treaty shows that progress is possible.”

“This COP is about action and implementation for the ocean.”