Food & Climate
Rio hosts Brazil’s first Climate Action Week in 2025, uniting global partners ahead of COP30 to drive collaboration, innovation and bold climate solutions
Rio de Janeiro takes centre stage in 2025 as it hosts the inaugural Rio Climate Action Week (RCAW), an independent and collaborative initiative in support of the Brazilian COP30 Presidency and in partnership with London Climate Action Week.
Inspired by the pioneering model launched in London in 2019, RCAW joins a growing network of city-based climate action weeks across the world, including Auckland, Baku, Bangkok, Dublin, Prague, Shanghai and Sydney.
At a critical juncture for international climate policy, RCAW aims to amplify approaches to accelerating climate action, reflecting the Brazilian call for mutirão (collective effort).
This spirit of collaboration will be key as Brazil prepares to host the COP30 Climate Summit in Belém in November 2025, where expectations are high for strengthened global ambition and unity, according to a report seen by “Food & Climate” platform.
The link to COP30
RCAW is designed to be a permanent, multi-annual event, closely aligned with the COP30 Presidency’s six-themed Action Agenda.
As a decentralised and inclusive festival of climate events, RCAW will bring together governments, businesses, investors, civil society and cultural institutions to showcase solutions and share ideas for building resilience and advancing sustainability.
The programme will include physical hubs across the city, hosting debates, workshops and exhibitions that highlight the intersection of climate action with innovation, sustainable economic development, arts and culture.
Crucially, RCAW offers an open and low-barrier platform, encouraging participation from a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from local community organisations to global institutions.
The programme for RCAW 2025 is designed around the COP30 agenda, aiming to tackle six key areas:
Transitioning Energy, Industry and Transport;
This involves shifting away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources, promoting sustainable industrial practices and transitioning to cleaner transportation systems.
Roberta Cox, COP30 Director at GRA and Brazil Policy Director at Global Wind Energy Council: “Energy poverty is a challenge that demands action! During Rio Climate Action Week (RCAW), we will debate this topic and show some solutions that have already been developed and that deserve to be replicated!” says Roberta Cox, COP30 Director at GRA and Brazil Policy Director at Global Wind Energy Council.
Stewarding forests, oceans and biodiversity;
This focuses on protecting and restoring ecosystems, combating deforestation and conserving marine biodiversity.
Transforming agriculture and food systems;
This aims to promote sustainable agriculture practices, reduce food waste and ensure food security in the face of climate change.
Building resilience for cities, infrastructure and water;
This involves developing climate-resilient infrastructure, managing water resources effectively and building resilient urban environments.
Fostering human and social development;
This focuses on ensuring a just and equitable transition to a low-carbon future, addressing the social and economic impacts of climate change and promoting human well-being.
Unleashing enablers and accelerators;
This includes mobilising finance, promoting technological innovation and building capacity for climate action.
$8tn a year is needed to finance the climate transition globally
The initiative states: “The gap between national climate plans and investment is vast and growing.”
It is estimated that $8tn a year is needed to finance the climate transition globally, rising to $10tn a year after 2030, according to RCAW.
“Together with the Climate High-Level Champions, we are leading the RCAW Thematic Hub on Risk, Resilience & Insurance, bringing the insurance perspective to the centre of the climate agenda,” writes Andoni Hernández Bengoa, Executive Chairman Brazil & LATAM Regional Counsel at Howden, on LinkedIn.
RCAW is aiming to support city leadership to deliver a net zero, resilient Rio De Janeiro and Brazil by helping accelerate efforts towards a just and inclusive climate transition.
RCAW i set to help develop synergies between public, private and voluntary sector organisations in order to encourage collaboration and build a ‘Climate Cluster’ of Rio’s dynamic climate and sustainability leaders.
According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Brazil is the most biologically diverse country in the world, home to up to 20% of the world’s species.
From the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, which laid the foundations of global sustainability architecture, to COP30 in 2025, Brazil has played a defining role in shaping climate diplomacy.
RCAW builds on this legacy, serving as a space for healthy, solutions-driven debate while rejecting any platform that undermines the Paris Agreement or global commitments, according to “Sustainability Magazine”.