Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Belém on Saturday, demanding urgent action on the climate and nature crisis as the Amazonian city hosts COP30. The demonstration, called the 'Great People's March', was the first major protest outside the annual climate talks since COP26 in Glasgow four years ago.
Indigenous activists, many in face paint and feathered headdresses, led the march with chants and calls for environmental justice. Raquel Wapichana, who travelled nine hours from Roraima, said: 'I am here for my people, my land, our rivers and our ancestors. We are constantly threatened by mining, by agribusiness and by land invasions.'
A 'funeral for fossil fuels' was a striking feature, with mourners in black carrying three coffins labelled 'coal', 'oil' and 'gas'. One participant, Krishna, an actor from Belém, said: 'Our lives depend on getting rid of fossil fuels. Our children and our future depend on our struggle.'
Other marchers carried images of capybaras to call for biodiversity protection, while support for Palestine was also visible. An 80-person group held a 30-metre-long cobra sculpture, symbolising both a sacred animal for Indigenous people and a demand for climate finance – the word 'cobra' translating to 'pay up' in Portuguese.
The talks have one week remaining, with no clear outcome yet. Brazilian hosts have said they will focus on implementation rather than issuing a cover decision. Delegates remain deadlocked on key issues including climate finance, trade, transparency and the inadequacy of national climate plans.
