Project Summary: Describe your contribution in one sentence
Create a platform for meaningful dialogue where the narrative of helplessness among society, individuals, the private sector, and subnational governments in the face of the Brazilian national government's lack of climate ambition under Jair Bolsonaro is replaced by a narrative of power and potency that accelerates learning, awareness, and real action during this period.
What are the additional countries or territories of impact?
None
Challenge Focus: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Website URL(s) or social media handles
clima2030.org institutotalanoa.org
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve?
Under the Bolsonaro government (2019-2022) in Brazil, climate advocates and activists have faced significant obstacles in their efforts to combat climate change, with key climate policies and agencies being dismantled.
Brazil's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement should serve as a reflection of the interests and abilities of Brazilian society in addressing the climate agenda, as well as a fundamental tool for planning medium- and long-term national development. However, Bolsonaro government's failure to consult with society resulted in an NDC submission lacking ambition, integrity and accountability. As a result, Brazil's NDC has been downplayed, leaving non-state actors feeling powerless regarding the climate agenda, and exposing Brazil to political and economic barriers that restrict its priorities for international trade and investment.
However, the responsibility for the NDC does not solely rest with the government but rather with the Brazilian state and society as a whole. Unless the opportunities and challenges of decarbonization are made clear to all actors in society and they feel ready to act, there will be insufficient political space to take meaningful steps towards addressing the climate crisis.
Your connection and commitment: How close are you to the problem and/or the community impacted?
A coalition of actors, representing the whole of society, was urgently needed to shift the narrative away from powerlessness and dependence on the national government.
Talanoa, a new institution solely dedicated to climate policy and politics, was uniquely positioned to work closely with national actors and serve as a conduit for this effort. Talanoa, whose motto is to work with ideas and technologies of our time, partnered with different actors to create a platform that connects science, policy, and politics - Climate and Development.
This platform gathered 150 experts and 150 leaders, including governors of states, mayors of small and large cities (such as São Paulo), indigenous leaders, favela representatives, CEOs of global companies, CEOs of top national corporations, politicians, and many others, to form this coalition of coalitions.
Talanoa employed a communication strategy within the Climate and Development initiative that brought the climate issue to wider circles of national strategic agendas. We contributed to strengthening the urgency narrative of decarbonization and climate actions for the future of the country and strengthened the agenda in the electoral debate through articles, meetings, interviews, debates, and promoting the topic through media channels, with a special emphasis on the podcast "A Terra é Redonda (Mesmo)" (The Earth is Round, After All), which reached 115,000 downloads in less than 2 months.
Your approach: How are you enabling other people to identify as green changemakers? How are you influencing them to get involved in your initiative or care about the issue you are addressing?
Talanoa's approach to enabling people to become green changemakers was to identify champions in Brazilian society, make their ambition visible collectively and and then ask how to reflect this ambition for the country. This was supported by robust scenarios crafted by experts, which translated political views into scientifically sound emissions trajectories.
Talanoa conducted 12 consultations and 4 roundtables involving hundreds of political leaders to imagine possible scenarios for a low-emissions Brazil, balancing technical and political feasibility. We brought together a diverse range of actors from all sectors of society to participate in virtual consultations and propose opportunities and challenges for transitioning to a net-zero emissions model. This was achieved by building desired scenarios, from micro to macro levels, according to their realities.
The discussions of scenarios, visions, and implementation paths led to relevant political decisions and a strong message conveyed at national and international levels that Brazilians are eager to seize the opportunities presented by the transition to net-zero emissions in this decade.
Additionally, a 10-point plan for decarbonization proposal, built with broad-baed contributions by experts, was presented to all Presidential candidates in 2022. It is a testament to Talanoa's commitment to innovative and impactful solutions that can drive meaningful change.
The response effectively demonstrates how Talanoa's approach empowers individuals and groups to become changemakers and participate in shaping climate policy in Brazil.
Community involvement: How is your approach involving community participation, especially the historically marginalized groups?
From the outset, we mapped out representantives from indigenous and black communities and invited them with a view to provide adequate space in the dialogue process. We also invited major coalitions and social movements from these groups to join the initiative's leadership committee, in order to help shape the process and to adjust for any needs.
This includes the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), the National Council of Rubber Tappers (CNS), the National Confederation of Quilombolas (CONAQ), and the Sustainable Amazon Forum (FAS), and many more. These coalitions and organizations have played a significant role in shaping the climate agenda at the national level, focusing on issues of environmental and social justice. Also, these organizations have engaged with black movements like Uneafro and the Black Coalition for Rights, and young climate activists like Engajamundo, Global Shapers, Fridays for Future Brazil, and Youth Climate Leaders (YCL).
Important indigenous leaders, such as the first elected indigenous congresswoman of Brazil, Joenia Wapichana, participated in the process, along with other local leaders. Specific demands relating to demarcation of indigenous lands and protection of territories were debated and also considered in the written proposals submitted on behalf of the initiative to the Presidencial candidates in 2022.
Your Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions already out there? How is your approach original and innovative? We are particularly interested in solutions that use regenerative approaches.
Mobilizing the whole ecosystem for immediate change.
The initiative mapped out a vibrant ecosystem of Brazilian actors committed to achieving net-zero emissions in the coming decades. Our approach is original and innovative, as we first aimed to make actors in this ecosystem visible one to another, and then to mobilize them jointly for systemic policy change. The initiative brought together cities, states, companies, investors, universities, indigenous leaders, scientists and experts, and, favela-based, youth and women groups, totaling 300 influential Brazilian institutions. All have the same air space during dialogues and consultations. And we paired these actors in smaller groups that allowed for activation of particular discussions and cases (for instance, we paired a leading Senator from the workers'party with youth representatives, to discuss fossil fuels).
Our approach included also articulating this spectrum of actors to generate pressure on the Brazilian government to increase its climate ambition. We have presented specific proposals for real, achievable emissions reductions with social benefits, creating a robust reference point to pressure the government to reposition itself. While the government's announcement at COP26 did not meet our expectations, we are proud to have contributed to the partial addressing of this issue.
What sets us apart from other solutions out there is our focus on mobilizing the ecosystem to achieve net-zero emissions. We are committed to bringing together actors from all sectors of society to create a strong and influential coalition that can drive meaningful change. As we look ahead to the future, we are excited to continue to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible, building a sustainable and prosperous future for all.
Founding Story: Share a story about the "Aha!" moment that led the founder(s) to get started or the story of how you saw the potential for this to succeed.
Talanoa's change-as-we-speak approach involved conducting 12 consultations with hundreds of political leaders to imagine possible scenarios for a low-emissions Brazil. These fostered joint fact-finding and consensus building, resulting in meaningful political decisions.
One particularly noteworthy moment was a state governor's significant change in position regarding disinvestment in coal, which he had previously intended to invest in. Years of confrontational environmental campaigns at the local level were not able to convince this politician nor his party about not doing so. However, the Climate and Development dialogue built a safe space for meaningful dialogue around opportunities brought up by aligning with the Paris Agreement, and the zeitgeist around fossil fuels. Although the consultations were not intended to address coal in particular nor decisions affecting his state, the structure and composition of the dialogue enabled this leader to realize the far-reaching consequences of the decision he was about to take and to change his stance. This was later featured in press articles with the governor's consent.
This aha moment showed that there is power in the hands of all actors involved in this initiative, including those with local authority and participants in the conversations that led to this political shift and regardless of the lack of national authorities' interest.
Impact: How has your project made a difference so far? How is it contributing to a zero-carbon world- where every person thrives, and nobody gets left behind?
As mentioned above, the project has had impacts both in terms of policy changes at the local level as well as in pressuring the national government to correct course - something that came alive during the presidential elections in 2022, when all candidates presented climate and development views.
The dialogue process and the spaces for trust and exchange proved to be strategic and they were kept as living spaces during the 2022 elections. Concrete guidelines produced within the Climate & Development initiative were channeled to the presidential campaigns in Brazil in 2022, in terms of measures to reverse Bolsonaro's legacy on climate change and advance in mitigation and adaptation at the federal level in the coming years. This has, therefore, contributed to set the foundations for the climate policy and governance of the newly elected federal administration.
Furthermore, a powerful message resulting from the process was that a great number of Brazilian actors are ready to accelerate climate action to increase Brazil's economic prosperity. These actors gained clarity and enhanced their willingness to seize the opportunities of the transition to net zero during the process.
Undoubtedly, there are diverse views on climate policy in Brazilian society, something which is likely to continue. The good news is that many are committed and willing to lead our path to climate neutrality.
What’s Next: What are your ideas for taking your project to the next level?
Our approach involves collaborating with the newly elected government to establish an official, public consultation process to revise Brazil's NDC for 2025 and 2030, emphasizing inclusivity, diversity, and political density. The spaces for dialogue and trust built during the Climate and Development initiative were critical to achieving our final results, and we believe they should continue to serve as living spaces for the next several years. Our platform is designed as an open space for changemakers to come together, collaborate, and drive climate action forward.
With that in mind, we will strive to collectively achieve ambition, integrity and credibility when it comes to a new Brazilian NDC, to be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change no later than 2023. On the other hand, we want to take our project to the next level by investing in the implementation of specific actions by non-state stakeholders through funding and climate finance strategies, so that Brazil gets closer to its nea-term climate targets sooner than expected.
Your team: What is the current composition of your team (types of roles, qualifications, full-time vs. part-time, board members, etc.), and how do you plan to evolve the team’s composition as the project grows?
Introducing our dynamic and diverse team of 15 individuals plus consultants! We are proud to have four key areas of expertise: i) operations, led by a talented Black male, ii) institutional building, led by a skilled Caucasian female, iii) data and policy monitoring, led by a knowledgeable Asian female, and iv) politics and dialogue, led by a savvy Caucasian female. Each of these areas is staffed with passionate full-time professionals and consultants, with around 75% of our team being female. Our combined backgrounds include a wide range of disciplines, such as public policy, economics, public administration, law, biology, and environmental sciences.
Our organization is governed by an assembly of associates, and we are in the process of establishing a strategic council. With our eyes firmly set on the future, we plan to expand our team by hiring 20 full-time professionals and consultants to further strengthen our capabilities and continue to make an impact in our community and beyond!
Operational Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure operational sustainability.
We are looking to expand based on new partnerships with funding institutions.
Our 2023 strategic plan includes a comprehensive analysis of our current operations and financial structure to identify any areas for improvement and cost-saving measures. We also established clear objectives and metrics to measure our progress towards sustainability goals.
In addition, we are working closely with our funding partners to ensure that we are aligned with their goals and objectives. We also focus on building partnerships with other organizations and stakeholders in our field, in order to leverage our resources and expertise to achieve shared goals. This not only improves our operational sustainability, but also increases our impact and reach.
Finally, we are investing in capacity building for our staff, providing ongoing training and professional development opportunities to ensure that we have the skills and knowledge needed to effectively carry out our mission.
Through these measures, we believe that we can ensure the operational sustainability of our organization and achieve our goals of creating positive change in our community and beyond.
VIDEO: Please share the link to a 1-minute YouTube video that answers the following “I identify as a Green Changemaker because...”. Ensure that your video does not exceed 60 seconds
Impact Model: While reviewing applications, we identified a need to better understand the impact models for the innovations that applied. How would you describe the activities you engage in and what outcomes and long-term impact do they lead to?
Audience: Who are you most directly impacting through your work? Who is the target beneficiary? Please specify if the population you are reaching is underserved due to any of the following characteristics?
If you chose the "Other" option, please specify
How are you activating green changemakers?
If you chose the "Other" option, please specify