COP30 in the Amazon: A peoples’ COP without the peoples

Demonstrations at COP30 reveal systemic failures, silenced indigenous peoples’ voices, and the widening gap between promises and reality.

By Mitch Teofilo 
Bulatlat.com

Belém, BRAZIL – Walking through the venue of COP30, one could not ignore the multiple demonstrations erupting both inside and outside the halls. Far from mere disruptions, these actions symbolize the failure of states to meet their commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They expose the implementation gaps that have plagued climate negotiations for three decades, where pledges are made with fanfare but rarely translated into meaningful action.

The irony of holding COP30 in the Amazon – the very biome that sustains global climate stability – is glaring. Indigenous leaders reminded us that the Amazon is collapsing under the weight of extractive industries, oil drilling, and corporate greed, even as negotiators inside spoke of “just transitions” and “renewable futures.” The Political Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin made clear that the forest itself is crying out, yet its defenders remain unheard.

Although it was called the “People’s COP,” the structures and systems in place still pushed indigenous peoples’ perspectives to the margins. UNFCCC’s own Executive Secretary acknowledged that the health of lands, waters, and skies are inseparable from the health of communities. Yet, this acknowledgment rings hollow when states continue to favor corporate interests over human rights. The demonstrations highlighted how states collude with extractive industries, perpetuating violations against communities whose territories are sacrificed for profit.

Climate finance was another flashpoint. While new pledges were announced at COP30, many activists questioned their credibility. Direct access to climate finance for communities and indigenous peoples was emphasized as essential, but the mechanisms remain opaque, bureaucratic, and tilted toward governments and corporations. Without direct flows, climate finance risks becoming another broken promise, reinforcing inequality rather than addressing it.

The issue of loss and damage loomed large. Communities across the world, including the Amazon, are already experiencing extreme weather events, floods, droughts, and fires. Yet, discussions often reduce loss and damage to economic metrics, ignoring non-economic losses such as the destruction of cultural heritage, spiritual ties to land, and the erosion of identity. These are losses that cannot be quantified in dollars, but they define the lived trauma of climate collapse.

The fossil fuel debate underscored the contradictions of COP30. While negotiators spoke of transitioning to renewable energy and ensuring a “just transition,” fossil fuel interests remained entrenched. The demonstrations made clear that without a decisive phase-out of fossil fuels, talk of renewables is empty rhetoric.

Ultimately, COP30 revealed the deep disconnect between the urgency of the climate crisis and the inertia of state-led negotiations. The Amazon, hosting this conference, is both a symbol of hope and a site of devastation. Its rivers, forests, and peoples remind us that climate justice cannot be achieved while corporate greed, systemic barriers, and state complicity dominate the agenda.

The demonstrations were not failures of diplomacy – they were acts of truth-telling and symbols of systemic failure. They remind us that climate justice requires listening to those most affected, dismantling extractive systems, and ensuring that finance and commitments reach communities directly. Anything less is another betrayal. As UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell noted, “We are not on track to meet the goals of Paris”. The protests made visible what negotiators often obscure: implementation gaps are widening, not closing. (AMU, RVO)

Sources:

UNFCCC remarks on Indigenous peoples at COP30 – UNFCCC, https://unfccc.int/news/indigenous-peoples-remind-us-that-the-health-of-our-lands-waters-and-skies-is-inseparable-from-the

COP30 coverage on Indigenous knowledge and direct financing – cop30.br, https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/indigenous-knowledge-and-direct-financing-are-pillars-of-climate-adaptation

Political Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin – Portal da COIAB, https://coiab.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ENG_POLITICAL-DECLARATION-OF-THE-INDIGENOUS-PEOPLES_COP30.pdf

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