Energy transition for whom? People’s Summit begins with “Barkita” in time for COP30

Indigenous peoples, riverine peoples, quilombola people and social movements from around the world marked the history of the United Nations Climate Conference this Wednesday (12th). In an unprecedented protest by 200 boats on the Guama River, they accused the COP of failing to reflect the demands of the most vulnerable people on the front lines of climate change.

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The river demonstration marked the beginning of the People’s Summit. Over five days, around 5,000 participants will bring their own solutions to the fight against global warming to the table, including agroecology and family farming. Many have doubts about the energy transition to a low-carbon economy, which is one of the focuses of the conference’s diplomatic negotiations.

Elaine da Silva Barros of the Mining National Sovereignty Movement (MAM), from Maranhão state, worries that the search for critical minerals for electrification, such as aluminum, cobalt and lithium, will put even more pressure on the Amazon territory.

“The energy transition is not for us. Brazil already supplies itself and has a renewable energy matrix,” he explains. “It makes no sense that Brazil has to change its energy base so that European countries or the United States can move away from fossil fuels. It makes no sense to build more mines on our territory and expel more people from them,” he argues.

Indigenous person Jessica Kumaruala was among the passengers on the Caravan of Response boat, which sailed more than 3,000 kilometers to reach the capital Pará for the protests. The ship sailed along the so-called soy corridor from Sinop in Mato Grosso state to Belém do Para, taking with it around 40 social movements and indigenous groups.

“Who is COP for? They talk a lot about energy transition and clean energy, but that’s how they do it,” he points out. “They don’t consult us, they don’t meet with us to talk about it. We want them to be honest and talk about the impact as well as the benefits.”

Impact of hydropower plants on the social environment

The movement of people affected by dams existed to address the long-felt environmental and social impacts of domestic electricity production by hydroelectric power plants. “Unfortunately, what they say about clean energy is not clean at all for us. An energy transition is possible only if there is a fundamental change in Brazil’s structure and energy model, which leads to exploitation, territorial invasions, territorial flooding and human rights violations,” says Fred Vieira, who coordinates the organization in Pará state.

Jessica’s biggest concern is protecting the Tapajos River from federal waterway projects. The work includes dredging to facilitate navigation of the grain and mineral production stream between Itaituba and Santarem in the state of Pará.

“President Lula has privatized our rivers. He wants to turn our rivers into agribusiness routes and we will not accept that. We want our rivers to be free.” “It’s already contaminated by illegal mining and mercury. When they destroy and pollute our rivers, they’re killing us too.”

Fisherman Benedito de Souza Ribeiro, 62, has depended all his life on another river: the Amazon. He sees the federal government as being “hostage” to a Congress dominated by agribusiness and mining companies.

“Big industry has settled on our territory, forcing fishermen and riverside residents who make a living from fishing out of the area. And it is these companies, dams and mining companies that are causing global warming,” he blames.

Documenting indigenous participation, but still not enough

For indigenous peoples, fighting global warming requires establishing more land boundaries. We need governments, especially governments of other countries, to listen to us. It is most important to define the boundaries because according to our culture, we will live there in peace,” emphasizes Bepmoloy Metukutile, the grandson of Chief Raoni and a member of the Kayapo youth. “We are the guardians of the forest. She means everything to us,” he emphasizes.

Never before have so many indigenous peoples been enrolled in the COP. The Brazilian delegation alone has 300 people registered. But that’s not enough for them. They demand a special seat in official negotiations.

They also demand to be consulted on any projects that touch their land, said Raquel Mura of the Mura Outazes indigenous people in Amazonas state. “Being here is showing the Amazon to the world and saying, ‘Hear us, don’t destroy the forest just because we’re here. There are people here,'” he emphasizes.

“Our suggestion is that the president should focus more on indigenous peoples, because while he helped reduce deforestation, he just authorized oil exploration in the Amazon estuary. This is very outrageous, because it will affect the entire Amazon, and not just the Amazon, but the world,” he added.

The People’s Summit will bring together some 1,200 organizations from 62 countries in Belem until Sunday. At COP30, the main space for civil society is the Green Zone. In the blue area reserved for official negotiations, members of your organization can register as observers of the process.