Thank you from RCAW 2025

3 September, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

The inaugural Rio Climate Action Week has now come to an end after a spectacular seven days of action engaging more than 20,000 people with 240+ activities.

Starting on the beaches of Copacabana and the peak of the city at the Christ the Redeemer statue, events took place across the city at some of its most iconic venues.

From the Museum of Tomorrow and AquaRio to National Museum, Rio Climate Action Week brought together a staggering range of carefully-curated activities in Rio’s most famous spaces and places.

We were proud to host faith and climate services at the Christ the Redeemer statue and the Cathedral of Rio, climate finance and business leadership summits at CCBB, food security and youth leadership sessions at Acao da Cidadania, and a climate-themed rowing championship on the Lagoa of Rio de Janeiro.

These represent only a small selection of the variety of events that ranged from business, finance and policy, to arts, sports, culture, community, science and health.

We were blown away not only by the range of events, but by their quality and the contributions of partners. We are honoured that RCAW 2025 featured high-level events with Brazil’s First Lady, COP30 Presidency leadership and indigenous leaders from Amazonia, to UNFCCC Climate Champions from four countries, tycoons from business and finance, Noble-prize winning scientists and civil society activists.

Our objective was to build momentum ahead of COP30 and focus efforts on the COP30 Presidency’s Action Agenda, showcasing existing initiatives, inspiring others and building a thirst for collaboration. RCAW proved that it was mutirao for climate action.

We could not have done this without the support of our many institutional partners, several of whom ran thematic Hubs, our sponsors, and the support of the COP30 Presidency and the UNFCCC Climate Champions.

Over the coming days, we will be reaching out to many of you for your reflections on RCAW 2025, your outcomes and next steps, so that we can continue to build on the energy released in Rio de Janeiro last week.

For ourselves, we are proud to share the following initial key announcements that we made public at the Closing Ceremony of Rio Climate Action Week on Friday, 29th August 2025:

1. RCAW will be back next year with the Dream Team of organisers, Pro Natura International, London Climate Action Week, Museo do Amanha/ IDG, GAEL and Approach - an annual presence from now until 2030 (at least)
   
   
2. We are going regional with a partnership with Juruxi in Para, who will organise a Climate Action Week next year
   
   
3. The partnership between London and Rio will deepen with scientific, cultural, institutional and civil society partnerships through our Climate Action Weeks
   
   
4. There will be a new partnership initiated between informal settlements such as Kibera in Nairobi, the largest slum in Africa, and Favelas in Rio, with Human Needs Project and Acao da Cidadania, focussing on water, food, youth and enterprise development.
   
   
5. We are delighted to announce the that in partnership with the Nobel Sustainabilty Trust, Rio Climate Action Week and Pro Natura International will establish the Nobel Sustainability World Science Academy at the Castello do Alto in the Tijuca National Park, deep in the heart of the largest urban forest in the world.

In the meantime, we invite you to follow us online (links below), view our RCAW YouTube channel for highlights from the week, and send your feedback and recommendations at: secretariat@rioclimateactionweek.org

Thank you once again for your participation and contributions to another historic milestone in the footsteps of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, which launched the sustainability movement, and to whose legacy we are all indebted and building upon.

With profound gratitude,