COP30 Civil Society Rundown: Thousands of Communities and Social Movements, Representing Favelas, Indigenous, Quilombola and Other Marginalized Groups Fill Belém During COP30 [IMAGES]

Sustainable Favela Network champions the COP30 Letter from the World’s Informal Settlements—“We Want Favelas at the Center of Climate Decisions!”—at the Global Climate March during COP30 in Belém. Photo: Bárbara Dias

Headlines since the 30th Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém have focused on the diplomatic exchanges among heads of state and global authorities in the Blue Zone, particularly the lack of an agreement on fossil fuels, deforestation and climate adaptation financing. Some important, isolated advances in discussions on the climate crisis were reported, maintaining direction from the Paris Agreement—yet these are not enough to prevent the escalation of climate change and, consequently, the climate emergency.

Meanwhile, what may have been COP30’s most significant impact was scarcely reported by national and international media: the largest participation of civil society in the history of COPs and the significance of its cascading effects, clearly perceived by those across the event and its offshoots. For two intense weeks, Belém pulsed under the influence of a vibrant, colorful diversity of organizations from every corner, people and region of Brazil.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FULL REPORT

This article is part of a series created in partnership with the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the Digital Brazil Project on environmental justice in the favelas through RioOnWatch.