Urban social movements and collectives have played a fundamental role in the social and economic rights agenda throughout history. The climate agenda, on the other hand, has been developed and strengthened mainly in global governance spaces, dominated by scientists, non-governmental organizations and governments, and only in recent decades has it become more permeable in national and sub-national regulations and debates. This article aims to articulate the idea of how the encounter between global debates and the experience of urban movements and collectives in dealing with the climate agenda is currently expressed, bringing a case study of the community of Vila Arraes, in Recife, which was hit hard by torrential rains in May 2022, and has since strengthened itself to face extreme climate events. The study seeks to identify the main elements incorporated by the local community collective to turn their actions towards tackling climate change and developing the community s resilience and response capacity to extreme events, and how they can provide answers to gaps in global debates. Although there is still a significant gap between the global agenda and the challenges experienced by the communities most affected by climate change, there are opportunities to enrich global debates, especially when it comes to the application of climate adaptation plans, community resilience and loss and damage, based on the experiences of the territory.