The largest protest day at COP30 drew thousands who marched about 2.5 miles in theatrical costumes, red shirts and flags to demand stronger climate action and implementation of a pledged $300 billion a year in climate finance. Demonstrators — including Indigenous leaders, youth activists, river defenders and rural-worker organizers — emphasized inclusion and local rights while citing record global temperatures and sea-level rise in 2024. The U.S. federal government did not send a delegation after President Trump dismissed climate change, though two U.S. governors attended to represent state efforts.
Thousands Rally at COP30 in Theatrical March, Urging $300B Climate Finance and Greater Inclusion
The largest protest day at COP30 drew thousands who marched about 2.5 miles in theatrical costumes, red shirts and flags to demand stronger climate action and implementation of a pledged $300 billion a year in climate finance. Demonstrators — including Indigenous leaders, youth activists, river defenders and rural-worker organizers — emphasized inclusion and local rights while citing record global temperatures and sea-level rise in 2024. The U.S. federal government did not send a delegation after President Trump dismissed climate change, though two U.S. governors attended to represent state efforts.
09:53 PM, 11/15/2025Environment
Colorful, Theatrical Protest Near COP30 Demands Action
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets at the midpoint of the United Nations climate conference, COP30, on Saturday, staging a vibrant, theatrical march to pressure world leaders for stronger climate policies and more inclusive decision-making.
Some participants wore black dresses to symbolize a funeral for fossil fuels, while many others donned red shirts to represent the blood of environmental defenders who have been harmed or killed in struggles to protect land and resources. Organizers guided the procession from trucks equipped with sound systems and raised platforms as groups beat drums, waved enormous flags, and carried handwritten signs.
Voices from the March
Marisol Garcia, a Kichwa woman from Peru who led one contingent, said protesters were there to push leaders to make “more humanized decisions.” The route covered roughly 2.5 miles, passing close to the main COP30 venue in Belém.
“This is incredible. You can’t ignore all these people,”
Youth activist Ana Heloisa Alves, 27, called it the largest climate march she has attended. Alves was marching to defend the Tapajós River from proposed commercial development; her group’s signs read, “The river is for the people.”
Pablo Neri, a coordinator for the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra in Pará, urged the summit’s organizers to expand participation so the talks better reflect a climate movement that is increasingly rooted in popular mobilization.
Context: Finance, Records and Access
Earlier in the week, demonstrators twice surrounded the conference venue, briefly disrupting proceedings; one incident on Tuesday left two security guards with minor injuries. Delegates at COP30 were scheduled to address implementing a pledged $300 billion a year in climate finance that wealthy nations agreed to provide to poorer countries — funding intended to help phase out fossil fuels, adapt to worsening impacts, and compensate for extreme-weather losses. The State of the Global Climate report confirmed that global temperatures, greenhouse-gas emissions and sea levels all reached record highs in 2024.
Many marchers expressed relief at being able to protest more openly than at recent COPs held in countries with more restrictive public-assembly rules. The procession spanned much of its planned route as thousands joined in.
U.S. Absence and Reactions
The United States did not send an official federal delegation after President Trump publicly dismissed climate change as a “scam.” This follows the administration’s earlier decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement during Mr. Trump’s prior term, a move that critics say undercuts international cooperation.
Former U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Todd Stern said the administration’s absence was regrettable but suggested that sending a delegation might not have been constructive under current policies. Two U.S. governors — California’s Gavin Newsom and New Mexico’s Michelle Lujan Grisham — attended to represent state-level efforts to curb emissions and to voice criticism of the federal absence.
Theatrical Direct Action and Local Demands
Some demonstrators used vivid theatrics to make political points. Flavio Pinto of Pará wore a brown suit, an oversized American-flag top hat, walked on stilts and fanned himself with fake $100 bills bearing the president’s face; his sign read, “Imperialism produces wars and environmental crises.”
Vitoria Balbina, regional coordinator for the Interstate Movement of Coconut Breakers of Babaçu, marched with mostly women wearing domed hats made from Babaçu palm fronds. They called for greater access to Babaçu trees on private land, which are essential to livelihoods and cultural life for many communities. “Marching is not only about resistance,” she said. “It’s a way of life.”
The crowd moved up a hill beneath a wash of red, white and green flags. Onlookers outside a corner supermarket paused to watch and take photos; a passerby carrying groceries described the scene simply as “beautiful.”
COP30 talks continue through Friday. Observers said they do not expect sweeping new accords but hope for concrete progress on implementing past commitments, including financing to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.