COP30 Climate Summit Underway in Brazil Amid Calls for Action
The COP30 climate talks have commenced in Belém, Brazil, with a focus on turning past promises into tangible action.
The event has drawn global attention, with thousands of activists and Indigenous groups holding a parallel march to emphasize the urgency of the climate crisis.
The meeting was dubbed the “indigenous people’s COP” but many groups feel their concerns over deforestation, land protection and resource extraction in their homes are not being heard.
With the US strikingly absent from negotiations, progress has been slow. It is the first time the country has sent no delegation to the talks, after President Donald Trump branded climate change “a con”.
A large-scale demonstration is taking place outside the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, where thousands of participants are marching to voice their demands for more urgent climate action.
The protesters are accompanying their message with music and chants of “free the Amazon.” Among the visual displays are three large coffins labeled “Oil,” “Coal,” and “Gas,” accompanied by figures representing the grim reaper.
One participant, Tuga Cíntia of the Federal University of Pará’s Hydra Dance theatre group, explained to the BBC, “We are holding a funeral for fossil fuels.” She further stated, “I’m here because enough is enough with COP meetings and theory. It’s time for us to actually act.”
The protests, the first permitted outside a COP since 2021, featured calls to protect the Amazon and accelerate the move to clean energy. Indigenous representatives are highlighting their critical role as guardians of forest ecosystems.
Key topics at the summit include strategies to reduce fossil fuel use and help nations adapt to climate impacts. A new international initiative on climate information integrity has also been launched to combat the spread of disinformation
