Thousands take to streets in Brazil urging urgent action at COP30 summit – Firstpost

Thousands of climate activists took to the streets of Belém, Brazil, in a loud, colorful and peaceful demonstration on Saturday, demanding stronger action to protect the planet and expressing frustration with governments and the fossil fuel industry.

Meanwhile, negotiators at the COP30 climate summit held in the same city marked the halfway point of talks aimed at turning climate year pledges into concrete measures to curb global warming and support communities most affected by climate change.

In the streets, indigenous groups, youth activists and civil society organizations came together in the sweltering heat, singing, playing instruments and waving banners. Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, addressed the crowd, saying: “This is the place for us to march and draw a roadmap for what needs to happen at this COP: a transition away from deforestation and fossil fuel use.”

Indigenous participant Cristian Puyanawa joined the march to advocate for stronger land rights, telling protesters, “Our lands and our forests are not commodities. Respect nature and the people who live in the forest.”

Protests have been a recurring feature at COP30. Earlier in the week, indigenous activists attempted to force entry to the summit site, leading to clashes with security on Tuesday, while a separate peaceful protest blocked access to the site on Friday morning.

On Saturday, which was designated as the day of protests at the two-week COP summit, there was a heavy security presence, including military police in riot gear, around the venue, even though the march route did not directly cross it.

COP30 talks to move to political phase

Inside the talks, negotiators who have spent weeks trying to make progress are reporting what they have achieved, before handing their work over to ministers who will try to clear any remaining political obstacles.

“As negotiators approach the second week, they need to remember that climate action is not about abstract numbers or distant goals. It’s about people,” said Katherine Hayhoe, chief scientist at the environmental nonprofit The Nature Conservancy.

“The choices we make today determine the future we will share tomorrow.”

The agenda of the huge summit covers a range of issues intended to build on progress made in previous years – an often inch-by-inch process that has made some progress in reducing global warming over more than three decades, but not enough.

But the nature of what will come out of the summit is unclear, with some of the most contentious issues being discussed outside the formal process – such as increasing climate finance, moving away from fossil fuels, and how to address collective shortfalls in emissions-reduction plans.

The Brazilian COP30 presidency, which is conducting those sideline discussions, must decide whether it wants to attempt a high-level balancing act and come up with a political agreement on issues that all can support – known as ‘cover decisions’ in COP parlance.

Asked about such a deal – as it has been for most of the day since the summit began on November 10 – COP30 President Andrés Correa do Lago said at a press conference:

“For a long time, I have been saying that we are not planning a cover decision, but I have also said that if there is any movement from countries to propose a cover decision, the President will obviously consider it. So, let’s see how things develop.”

with inputs from agencies