Activists described climate impacts in their home countries and demanded youth inclusion in UN negotiations. Thousands of protesters again gathered at the gates of the COP30 climate conference in Belem, Brazil, blocking the venue during a peaceful standoff.
Brazilian youth groups, activist networks, and Indigenous communities marched together to pressure leaders during the high-stakes UN meeting. Members of Fridays for Future urged negotiators to include young people in decision-making roles.
Rachelle Junsay from Climate Action Philippines said the situation frustrates young people who will inherit the planet. She argued that decision-makers talk about affected communities while excluding them from the negotiation table. She said the crisis directly threatens human survival.
Demonstrations Return After Years of Restrictions
Protesters demonstrated outside the UN climate talks for the first time in three years. Organisers branded the conference as supportive of Indigenous representation, yet demonstrations continued to disrupt scheduled events.
Earlier in the week, protesters surrounded the venue twice, including one incident on Tuesday that left two security guards with minor injuries. Saturday’s march stopped short of the gates as the conference held a full day of sessions.
Many participants celebrated the greater freedom to protest in Belem compared with recent climate summits in Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. Youth leader Ana Heloisa Alves, 27, said the turnout exceeded any climate march she had joined. She said the size of the crowd made it impossible to ignore their message.
Alves marched to defend the Tapajos River, which the Brazilian government plans to develop commercially. Her group raised signs declaring that the river belongs to the people.
Calls Grow for Wider Participation in Climate Talks
Pablo Neri, a coordinator in Pará for the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, said summit organisers must include more voices to reflect a growing movement rooted in popular participation.
The climate talks will continue through Friday, 21 November. Analysts and some participants said they expect no major new agreements, though many hope for progress on earlier commitments, including funding to help poorer nations adapt to climate change.
The United States will not attend. President Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax and previously withdrew the country from the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aimed to limit global warming.
