Activists highlighted climate impacts in their countries and called for youth participation in UN negotiations. Thousands of protesters gathered at the gates of the COP30 climate conference in Belem, Brazil, blocking access in a peaceful standoff.
Brazilian youth organizations, Indigenous communities, and climate activists marched to demand urgent action during the UN meeting. Members of Fridays for Future emphasized that young people must participate in climate decision-making.
Rachelle Junsay from Climate Action Philippines said youth feel frustrated inheriting a planet at risk. She criticized negotiators for discussing people’s future while excluding the actual victims and affected communities from the talks.
Protests Return After Three-Year Hiatus
Protesters demonstrated outside UN climate talks for the first time since 2021. Organizers promoted the conference as a space that empowers and celebrates Indigenous peoples.
Earlier in the week, demonstrators surrounded the venue twice, with one incident leaving two security guards with minor injuries. Saturday’s march intentionally stopped short of the venue, where negotiators conducted a full day of sessions.
Participants welcomed the opportunity to protest more freely in Belem than at recent summits in Azerbaijan, the UAE, and Egypt. Youth leader Ana Heloisa Alves called it the largest climate march she had ever joined, saying leaders cannot ignore the crowd.
Alves marched to protect the Tapajos River from commercial development. Her group displayed signs declaring, “The river is for the people.”
Calls for Inclusive Climate Decision-Making
Pablo Neri, coordinator in Pará for the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, urged organizers to involve more citizens to reflect a growing, people-driven climate movement.
The conference continues through Friday, 21 November. Analysts and participants do not expect major new agreements but hope for progress on past promises, including funds to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.
The United States is skipping the talks. President Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax and withdrew the country from the 2015 Paris Agreement.
