Thousands of climate change protesters marched through the Brazilian city of Belem on Saturday in a loud, diverse and peaceful demonstration to demand more action to protect the fate of the planet and express their anger at governments and the fossil fuel industry.
Negotiators have arrived a short distance away, at the halfway point of the COP30 climate change summit marathon. COP30 aims to implement long-standing commitments to halt the rise in global temperatures and provide support to those most affected by global warming.
In the streets, indigenous peoples, young activists and civil society organizations gathered in sweltering temperatures to sing, play instruments and wave banners.
“This is where we will march and do what we need to do at this COP: create a roadmap for the transition away from deforestation and the use of fossil fuels,” Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva told the crowd.
Indigenous protester Cristian Puyanawa also joined the march to demand greater land rights.
“Our land and forests are not a commodity. Please respect nature and the people who live in the forests,” she said.
COP30 has already seen a number of protests, including clashes with security guards trying to force indigenous people into the venue on Tuesday, and another peaceful demonstration blocking the venue on Friday morning.
On Saturday, designated as a day of protests at the two-week COP summit, the march route did not pass directly through the venue, but heavy security, including military police in riot gear, was deployed around the venue.
COP30 talks move to political stage
Negotiators, who spent a week trying to make progress on negotiations, were reporting on their progress before handing over the job to ministers who are trying to overcome remaining political hurdles.
“As negotiators enter their second week of negotiations, they must remember that climate action is about people, not abstract numbers and distant goals,” said Katherine Hayhoe, chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit.
“Every choice we make today will determine the future we share tomorrow.”
The summit’s broad agenda covers a range of issues with the aim of building on the progress made over the past few years. This process, often done piecemeal, has made some progress in reducing global warming for more than 30 years, but it is not enough.
But what will come out of the summit remains unclear, with some of the most controversial issues being discussed outside the formal process, including increasing climate finance, transitioning away from fossil fuels and addressing the collective lack of plans to reduce emissions.
Brazil’s COP30 Presidency, which is leading these parallel discussions, will need to attempt a high-stakes balancing act and decide whether to reach a political agreement on these issues that everyone can support. This is known in COP parlance as a “covering decision.”
Asked about the agreement, as has been the case most days since the summit began on November 10, COP30 President Andre Correa de Lago told a press conference:
“I’ve said for a long time that we’re not planning a covering decision, but I’ve also said that if there were moves by countries to propose a covering decision, the president would certainly consider that. So we’ll see how things develop.”
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