Top left: Climate protestors in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Photo from 350.org Flickr account. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Top right: Feature image via Canva Pro. Bottom left: Dominga Uño, a Bolivian Indigenous environmental advocate. Image from Flickr via license CC BY-ND 2.0. Center: Screenshot from UN Environment YouTube Video. Bottom right: Fishermen protest in the Philippines as part of the “Draw the Line” campaign. Photo from 350.org. Used with permission.
The UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCC) 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) will take place in Belém, capital of the state of Pará, in Brazil’s lower Amazon region from November 10–22. The conference is the largest annual gathering of climate experts, government representatives, NGOs, and activists, and takes place amid a worsening climate crisis and increasing fascist regimes around the world.
Belém, where the event is being held, is considered the “gateway to the Amazon rainforest.” However, ironically, environmentalists have alleged that the mega-conference is having a negative environmental impact and is actively harming the fragile Amazon ecosystem where it will take place.
Belém is relatively remote and challenging to get to, and significant infrastructure additions were needed to accommodate the 50,000–75,000 attendees who will converge on Brazil for the event. Swaths of the rainforest have been felled as part of this development process — at least 100,000 trees — to make way for the roads, hotels, and infrastructure needed to support such a large influx of people. This has significantly increased the already steep carbon footprint of the event.
Parts of the Amazon rainforest were felled to build infrastructure for COP30. Screenshot from BBC’s YouTube report.
While the annual COP events represent an opportunity for global civil society to mobilize, more often than not, these events are inaccessible and exclusionary to the very communities most affected by the climate crisis — particularly Indigenous, feminist, and grassroots organizations advocating for climate justice in their communities. Often, those who already sit in a seat of power are given priority at COP, while others remain voiceless.
For those who can attend the event, many are bracing themselves for disappointment, as some environmentalists have alleged that the COP events are largely performative, with little tangible, community-based climate action plans emerging from the conference. For instance, last year, Papua New Guinea pulled out of attending COP29 altogether, calling it “a total waste of time.” Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko further explained their disillusionment, stating, “All the big polluters of the world promise and commit millions to assist in climate relief and support. And I can tell you now it’s all going to consultants.”
Other activists are more optimistic. Eliane Brum, a prominent Brazilian environmental activist and Editor-in-Chief of SUMAÚMA, posted her thoughts on the matter:
Muita gente tem pouca expectativa nesta COP, e vai ser muito difícil, mas a COP não está dada. A COP está em disputa. Nós estamos aqui disputando.
Many people have low expectations for this COP, and it will be very difficult, but the COP is not a forgone conclusion. The COP is in dispute. We are here competing.
The reality is that many feminist movements working on climate justice will not be present in Brazil to influence the outcomes of this process. COP spaces, even this upcoming one in Brazil, remain inaccessible and defined by power dynamics that marginalize and exclude frontline feminist and grassroots voices.
To combat this, Global Voices’ partner, AWID, has organized several Resistance Hubs for Climate Justice around the world. These hubs challenge the elitism of climate talks, center lived experiences, and aim to build collective power across borders. They offer a critical counterbalance to top-down, often exclusionary international negotiations. The hubs aim to foster community-driven solutions, amplify feminist demands, and ensure that feminist principles of care and solidarity shape the climate agenda. It’s not just about being present at COP30 — it’s about reshaping the conversation on climate justice on feminist terms.
Through this special coverage, Global Voices will be following the key discussions from COP30, sharing insights from the Resistance Hubs, and offering a platform for grassroots activists and environmentalists working on the forefront of climate justice.
