The 30th edition of the Climate Summit (COP30) begins on Monday in the Amazonian city of Belém, in the Brazilian state of Pará, with the promise of protests and demonstrations. The Brazilian summit will be held five years after the conferences that were held years ago … From Covid-19, and in the last three years in countries with authoritarian governments, where demonstrations have been restricted, so this edition marks the return of protests to the streets. More than 50,000 people are expected to arrive from nearly 200 countries for two weeks of negotiations, exhibitions and discussions about the future of the planet.
The novelty of this climate summit lies not only in the official themes, but in the social enthusiasm that surrounds it after these five years. The city of Belém, which has exhausted its network of hotels and accommodation, has already been receiving representatives of social movements and indigenous people from the American continent since last week. Many of these organizations should meet at the People’s Summit, a parallel event that will have space again after being banned in the last three editions of the COP: Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan.
In the guidelines of these organizations that will occupy the streets, there is a vision for the people most affected by the climate crisis, such as forest dwellers, peripheral communities and grassroots movements in developing countries.
At least nine marches have been confirmed in the city, including the Global March, Indigenous March, Climate March and People’s Parkiata March. Additionally, the Engajamundo Collective is planning ten high-impact live actions during the event.
Daniel Valdovinos, 26 years old, member of the Central American Caravan for Climate and Life, highlights the role of indigenous peoples: “For us, it is very important to put peoples and territories facing resistance at the center of the climate discussion, because they represent the solutions to the climate crisis. Through their lifestyles and organization, we can learn how to transform our current paradigms.
A trip of 3000 km
One of the most symbolic mobilizations is a convoy of 300 people that left the state of Mato Grosso, neighboring Pará, for Belém, a 3,000-kilometre journey along the so-called “soybean route.” Along this route, it is possible to see the social and environmental impacts of the Ferrogrão project, a railway line dedicated to transporting grain along the Tapajós River, one of the most important rivers in Brazil’s Amazon Basin. According to a study by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and the Climate Policy Initiative Research Center, this action could cause deforestation of up to 49,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest.
Another topic under discussion that movements will question is equity in the distribution of climate finance. “Our global movement is against the enslavement and plunder of public debt that has subjugated the Global South since colonialism and that currently financially exploits countries. This is why we are here in Belem. “It is one of the demands that we will mainly put forward at the People’s Summit,” says Anderson Betancourt, representative of Colombian Action for Environmental Sovereignty and Climate Debt.
COP30 will be held in three zones: the Blue Zone, where diplomatic negotiations between Paris Agreement countries are concentrated; green, open to universities, businesses and local governments; And the new Yellow Zone, organized by the coalition “COP das Baixadas” (something like the COP of the Parties), formed by ten institutions from Belém to highlight the issues of the Amazon parties and condemn environmental racism.
Bring the discussion closer to the population
With only four delegates in the Blue Zone as observers, the Yellow Zones Alliance aims to bring climate discussions closer to local people. Groups and assemblies representing issues and NGOs have organized themselves in houses and discussion centers throughout the city and central Belém, with an intense agenda of discussions and exhibitions, which will be difficult to follow during the two weeks that the event lasts.
At the official level, Brazil will try to lead the energy transition with a “road map” that includes clear standards and financial signals. Regarding adaptation, the indicators of the Global Adaptation Goal (GGA) and the topic of financing will be discussed, which will attempt to transform commitments from Baku to Belem into verifiable commitments.
COP30 begins with the adoption of the agenda and the division of issues between the working groups. But the real pulse of this summit will be felt in the streets, where thousands of demonstrators will demand that climate discussion be no longer the monopoly of governments and companies. In Belém, a city in the Amazon region where inequality is quite evident, rivers and vulnerable communities will be the protagonists of the narrative that seeks to save the planet from the Amazon Basin.
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