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Ten years after the Paris Agreement and two stops in oil-producing countries, the thirtieth Conference of the Parties on Climate (COP30), taking place this year on the doorstep of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, will undoubtedly be marked by the influence of Indigenous peoples.
Shortly after his re-election in 2022, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for COP30 to be held in the Amazon. As a result, the conference, organized by the United Nations, will take place in Belém, the capital of the state of Pará in northern Brazil, from November 10 to 21 this year.
While Brazil’s Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, has dubbed it the "COP of COPs," Brazil will host the next Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate with certain contradictions. Today, the country remains a major oil producer, even though Lula has reaffirmed the importance of protecting the Amazon for global climate security. Despite his government’s commitment to eradicating deforestation, it has also advanced its bid to join the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
With the return of a climate-skeptic to the White House, COP30 will take place in a hostile geopolitical context, as without U.S. commitment, it will be difficult to reach firm climate agreements.
A COP Focused on the Amazon
The tenure of former President Bolsonaro was marked by a surge in Amazon deforestation. Lula, on the other hand, has promised to reverse this trend and fulfill his commitment to zero deforestation. Two years ago, after the announcement of a COP on the doorstep of the Amazon rainforest, Indigenous communities in the region began mobilizing. As a result, the struggles led by these peoples are expected to take center stage at the UN conference.
An international mobilization is underway. Networks from Europe, Africa, and the Americas are preparing to gather in November for a People’s Summit, running parallel to COP30, which will likely include several delegations from Quebec. Stay tuned.
Marie-Josée Béliveau is an ethnogeographer, ecologist, and lecturer, Marie-Josée Béliveau teaches at Ahuntsic College. She is featured in Santiago Bertolino’s film Amazonie, à la rencontre des gardiens et des gardiennes de la forêt (Amazon: Meeting the Guardians of the Forest).
Photo: Smoke in the Rio Xingu forest in the Amazon, Mato Grosso state, Brazil @ Julian Herzog - NASA - Public domain via WikiCommons
