Tens of Thousands Protest in Brazil at UN Climate Conference, Urging "Stop the Amazon Massacre"

A large-scale protest calling for active responses to the climate crisis took place in Brazil, where the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30) is currently being held.

On the 15th (local time), about 50,000 people, including indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest and environmental activists, held a protest in Belem, Brazil, urging governments and corporations worldwide to take responsibility for environmental destruction. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to major media outlets including AFP, on the 15th (local time) in Belem, Brazil, about 50,000 people-including indigenous people from the Amazon rainforest and environmental activists-urged governments and corporations around the world to take responsibility for environmental destruction.

The protesters marched through the city, chanting slogans, singing songs, and rolling a giant globe. Some participants, dressed in black, staged a symbolic "funeral" for fossil fuels by carrying coffins labeled "Fossil," "Oil," and "Natural Gas."

This protest is reported to be the largest gathering of its kind in four years, since the demonstration held during COP26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in 2021. Organizing large-scale protests had been difficult in the host countries of COP27, 28, and 29-Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Azerbaijan-where freedom of assembly and protest is relatively restricted.

The demonstrators marched 4.5 kilometers through downtown Belem and dispersed peacefully.

COP30, which opened on the 10th, is being attended by delegations from over 170 countries and will continue through the 21st. The conference is addressing specific discussions on climate finance, the establishment of the Tropical Forest Finance Facility (TFFF), and national greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2035 (2035 NDC), among other agenda items.

However, it has been reported that discussions have made little progress due to the conflicting interests of participating countries. Andre Correa do Lago, President of COP30, acknowledged that no breakthrough had been achieved during the first week of negotiations after the opening and urged diplomats not to waste time with delaying tactics.