Activists described climate impacts in their home countries and demanded stronger youth representation in UN negotiations.
Thousands of protesters marched to the gates of the COP30 UN climate conference in Belem, Brazil, staging a peaceful blockade. Brazilian youth groups, Indigenous communities, and climate activists joined the demonstration to call for urgent action.
Rachelle Junsay from Climate Action Philippines said youth inherit the planet and feel frustrated by decisions made without their input. She criticized negotiators in air-conditioned rooms for excluding actual victims and affected communities.
Protesters Return After Three-Year Pause
Protesters demonstrated outside UN climate talks for the first time since 2021. Organizers promoted the conference as a platform that empowers and celebrates Indigenous peoples.
Earlier in the week, demonstrators disrupted the venue twice, leaving two security guards with minor injuries. Saturday’s march stopped short of the venue while a full day of sessions continued.
Many participants enjoyed more freedom to protest in Belem compared to recent summits in Azerbaijan, the UAE, and Egypt. Youth leader Ana Heloisa Alves described it as the largest climate march she had ever joined, saying authorities could not ignore the crowd.
Local Voices Push for Broader Inclusion
Alves carried signs defending the Tapajos River, which the Brazilian government plans to develop commercially. “The river is for the people,” her group declared.
Pablo Neri, coordinator in Pará for the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, urged organizers to include more voices to reflect a climate movement moving toward mass participation.
The conference continues through Friday, 21 November. Analysts and participants do not expect major new agreements but hope for progress on prior commitments, including funding for vulnerable countries.
The United States skipped the talks. President Donald Trump mocked climate change as a hoax and withdrew from the 2015 Paris Agreement that aimed to curb global warming.
