Global Mutirão: A Missed Opportunity for Climate Action
The recent Global Mutirão summit aimed to address four pressing climate issues left off the COP30 agenda, including the ambition and implementation gaps of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the implementation of Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, and carbon border adjustment measures. While the summit’s premises were promising, the results fell short of expectations, lacking the necessary ambition to drive meaningful climate action.
To bridge the NDC gap, the summit launched a Global Implementation Accelerator and a Beléèm Mission to 1.5. The Global Implementation Accelerator is a voluntary initiative under the guidance of the COP30 and COP31 Presidencies, aiming to accelerate the implementation of climate objectives and support countries in realizing their NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The Beléèm Mission, led by the COP29, COP30, and COP31 Presidencies, seeks to enable the ambition and implementation of NDCs and NAPs, focusing on accelerating implementation, international cooperation, and investments.
Shortcomings in Climate Mitigation and Fossil Fuel Transition
However, the summit’s outcomes failed to take a significant step forward in climate mitigation, a crucial element in reaching the Paris Agreement’s climate target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century. The Roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels, pushed by the Brazilian Presidency, was not adopted, and the reference to fossil fuels is completely missing from the text. Instead, the decisions of the Dubai Global Stocktake are recalled in their entirety, without specific references to the more ambitious paragraphs (28 and 33).
This omission is particularly concerning, given the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, global CO2 emissions need to reach net-zero by 2050. The lack of ambition in the Global Mutirão’s outcomes raises concerns about the ability of countries to meet this target.
Climate Finance: A Weak Outcome
In terms of climate finance, the summit established a two-year work programme, including Article 9.1 in the context of Article 9. The adaptation finance target is a request to strive to at least triple it by 2035 compared to 2019 levels, with developed countries urged to increase their trajectory in this regard. However, this outcome is considered very weak compared to the request from less developed countries to set a target to triple adaptation finance by 2030 compared to 2025 levels.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the current level of adaptation finance is insufficient to support the needs of developing countries. The UNEP estimates that adaptation costs in developing countries could range from $140 billion to $300 billion per year by 2030. The Global Mutirão’s outcome on climate finance falls short of addressing this significant funding gap.
Carbon Border Adjustment Measures: A Missed Opportunity
On carbon adjustment measures at the border, the summit required subsidiary bodies to hold dialogues in the June 2026, 2027, and 2028 sessions, with the participation of Parties and other stakeholders, to consider opportunities, challenges, and barriers to increasing international cooperation in trade. While this is a positive step, it is essential to recognize that more concrete actions are needed to address the issue of carbon leakage and ensure a level playing field for industries.
The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is an example of a policy that aims to address carbon leakage by imposing a carbon price on imported goods. However, the Global Mutirão’s outcome on carbon border adjustment measures lacks the necessary ambition and clarity to drive meaningful action.
A Dramatically Insufficient Negotiating Response
Although the text recognizes the existence of serious pre-2020 gaps in ambition and implementation by developed countries, the negotiating response remains dramatically insufficient. As of November 2025, only 122 Parties have submitted their new NDC, despite the February deadline – numbers that highlight a growing gap between the demands of the Paris Agreement and the reality of national action.
The negotiating text acknowledges the gaps but does not introduce any credible mechanism to fill them. It simply “invites” countries to develop implementation and investment plans, without providing any concrete guidance or support. This lack of ambition and clarity raises concerns about the ability of countries to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate targets.
This article was written by Claudia Concaro and Anna Pelicci, delegates of the Italian Climate Network at COP30 in Belém. The cover image is courtesy of UN Climate Change – Kiara Worth.