BELEM, BRAZIL: Thousands of climate protesters marched through the Brazilian city of Belem in a noisy, diverse and peaceful display to demand more action to protect the fate of the planet and to vent their anger at governments and fossil fuel industries.
A short distance away, negotiators reached the halfway point in the marathon COP30 climate summit, which seeks to turn years of promises into action to halt rising global temperatures and deliver support to those most affected by a warmer planet.
On the streets Indigenous people, young activists and civil society groups came together singing, playing musical instruments and waving banners in midday temperatures near 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
The tropical city’s high humidity made that feel closer to 35 C (95 F), according to data from Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology.
“This is a place for us to march and draw up a roadmap for what needs to be done at this COP: a transition away from deforestation and the use of fossil fuels,” Brazil’s environment minister Marina Silva said, addressing the crowds.
Indigenous protester Cristiane Puyanawa joined the march to call for greater land rights.
“Our land and our forest are not commodities. Respect nature and the peoples who live in the forest,” she said.
COP30 has already seen myriad protests, most notably an attempt to force entry to the venue by Indigenous people that resulted in clashes with security.
On Saturday, designated as a day of protest in the two-week COP summit, there was a huge security presence around the venue, including military police in riot gear, even though the march route did not directly pass it.–Reuters
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