BELEM, Brazil, Nov 16: Crowds of climate campaigners filled the streets of Belém as COP30 entered another tense day. Moving alongside loud sound systems, they pushed their message toward the summit gates, carrying three large coffins marked "Oil," "Coal," and "Gas," with performers dressed as grim reapers close behind, according to the BBC.
Many in the march repeated “free the Amazon,” while Indigenous groups held signs saying “the answer is us.” Giant inflatable figures, including an elephant and an anaconda, wound through the gathering under the intense heat, the BBC reported.
This year marks the first time since 2021 that demonstrators have been permitted to protest directly outside a UN climate summit. The last three host nations had barred street protests, the BBC noted.
Members of Hydra Dance, a theater group from the Federal University of Pará, joined the crowds. One performer, Tuga Cíntia, said the march symbolized a funeral for fossil fuels and voiced frustration at years of climate conferences with little real action, according to the BBC.
Climate protesters around the world are calling for an end to f...
Indigenous groups, young Brazilians and activists from across continents marched together. Some took brief refuge from the midday heat inside a petrol station forecourt, the BBC said.
Brianna Fruean, a climate advocate from Samoa, said her community knows firsthand the damage caused by rising seas and called for an end to fossil fuel use. Her comments were shared with the BBC.
Another activist, Ilan from the group 350, said many participants had returned to the streets year after year, demanding justice and a move away from coal, oil and gas, the BBC reported.
Marchers carried signs urging legal recognition of Indigenous territories. Hundreds of Indigenous groups live across the Amazon, and scientists often credit them with protecting forests and wildlife, the BBC said.
Smaller solidarity demonstrations were held in other countries, including the UK. Security remained tight at the COP30 venue, where police in riot gear guarded the entrance, according to the BBC.
Tensions rose earlier in the week when protesters broke through a security line, leaving two guards with minor injuries and causing limited damage to the site, the BBC reported.
Indigenous representation has been a sensitive issue throughout the summit. Although some have set up stalls near the fenced perimeter to sell crafts to delegates, many say their concerns about deforestation and land pressures are being sidelined, the BBC noted.
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries continued discussions on Saturday. Delegates made little headway in the first week, though some pushed for a shared plan to shift away from fossil fuels, the BBC said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva chose Belém to highlight the Amazon’s importance. But days before the summit began, his government allowed the state oil company to explore for offshore oil near the Amazon River mouth, the BBC reported.
A review by the coalition Kick Big Polluters Out estimated that about 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists are attending this year’s summit, a rise from last year, the BBC noted.
Progress has been especially slow with the United States absent from the talks for the first time. Former President Donald Trump had dismissed climate change as “a con,” the BBC reported.
Senior climate leaders urged the summit to defend factual climate science. Ten nations have signed a new declaration aimed at tackling climate misinformation, the BBC said.
Brazil has promised that COP30 will move past years of stalled promises and set real steps for reducing emissions and helping countries adapt. Talks continue into next week, the BBC reported.
