Decision makers facing abatement targets need to decide which abatement measures to implement, and in which order. This paper investigates the ability of marginal abatement cost (MAC) curves to inform this decision, reanalyzing a MAC curve built for Brazil by 2030. Using MAC curves to design short-term strategies without considering longer-term objectives would result to a suboptimal strategy. It would lead to under-invest in expensive, long-to-implement and large-potential options, such as clean transportation infrastructure. To avoid this, existing MAC curves can be enhanced with (1) new graphical representations; (2) improved data collection and reporting concerning the implementation speeds of emission-reduction measures; (3) a simple optimization tool that accounts for constraints on implementation speeds. Climate mitigation policies can be designed through a pragmatic combination of two approaches. A "synergy approach" that uses MAC curves to identify the cheapest mitigation options and maximize co-benefits. And an "urgency approach" which starts from a long-term objective (e.g., halving emissions by 2050) and works backward to identify actions that need to be implemented early. Sector-specific policies may then be used to ensure short-term targets are met without under-investing in the ambitious and long-to-implement abatement measures required to reach long-term targets.