In the run up to COP 30 in Belém,Brazil, André Corrêa do Lago — the Brazilian diplomat serving as President-Designate — has written a remarkable series of ten “Letters from the Presidency” tracing the journey toward this milestone.
Each letter invites the world to move from a cycle of words to a cycle of action, rooted in shared values and collective responsibility. It’s a roadmap not just for governments, but for all of us who believe that climate action begins with people and ends with communities transformed.
A mutirão for the planet
In his first letters, Corrêa do Lago introduces a Brazilian concept: the mutirão — a community effort where everyone contributes. He imagines COP30 as a mutirão global, mobilising governments, businesses, faith communities, youth, and indigenous peoples in four connected fronts:
- Worldwide mobilisation,
- The Action Agenda,
- Formal negotiations, and
- A Leaders’ Summit that turns commitments into delivery.
People at the centre
The fifth letter places humanity back at the heart of the process: those on the frontlines of climate change are not victims, but protagonists and rights-holders. Later letters deepen this vision — especially the eighth, which calls adaptation “the next step in human evolution,” reminding us that cooperation is our greatest strength.
Turning the Paris promise into delivery
With the Paris Agreement’s rulebook now complete, the focus shifts to implementation. The letters trace the path from design to delivery, from policy to people — urging that every new initiative, investment, or technology should help close real gaps: between rich and poor, policy and practice, north and south.
The final call
In his tenth and final letter, Corrêa do Lago writes:
“With this tenth letter, I conclude a cycle of words so the world may open a cycle of action.”
It’s a powerful message on the eve of COP30: the time for negotiations alone has passed; the time for collective action — for a living mutirão of hope — has begun. Join the Dots Together echoes that call: that climate action is not only about policies, but about people building community, restoring trust, and living the change we hope to see.
The ten letters remind us that from Belém to Belfast, we are part of the same story — one where unity, justice, and care for our common home light the way forward.