Activists described climate impacts in their home countries and demanded youth participation in UN climate negotiations. Thousands of protesters gathered at the gates of the COP30 talks in Belem, Brazil, blocking the venue during a peaceful standoff.
Brazilian youth groups, environmental activists, and indigenous communities marched together to pressure leaders for action during the high-stakes UN conference. Members of Fridays for Future urged negotiators to include young people directly in the decision-making process.
Rachelle Junsay from Climate Action Philippines said the situation frustrates young people who will inherit the planet. She said decision-makers speak about affected communities while excluding those communities from the negotiation table and the conversation.
Demonstrators Return After Years of Restrictions
Protesters gathered outside the UN climate talks for the first time since 2021. Organisers have highlighted a commitment to supporting native communities during this conference, yet the demonstrations continued to disrupt proceedings.
Earlier in the week, protesters surrounded the venue twice, including an incident on Tuesday that left two security guards with minor injuries. Saturday’s march was planned to end just before the venue, where sessions continued throughout the day.
Many demonstrators celebrated being able to protest more freely in Belem than in Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, or Egypt. Youth leader Ana Heloisa Alves said she had never seen a climate march this large and insisted that no one could ignore the crowd. Alves marched to defend the Tapajos River, which the Brazilian government plans to develop commercially. Her group carried signs declaring that the river belongs to the people.
Calls for Broader Participation Shape the Talks
Pablo Neri, a coordinator for the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra in Pará, urged organisers to involve more people to reflect a growing climate movement grounded in public participation.
The climate talks will continue through Friday, 21 November. Analysts and participants do not expect major new agreements, though many hope for progress on earlier commitments, including financial support to help poorer countries adapt to climate impacts.
The United States, led by President Donald Trump, has dismissed climate change as a hoax and withdrew from the 2015 Paris Agreement. As a result, the country is not attending the talks.
