About 50,000 Indigenous people and climate activists marched through Belém at the midpoint of COP30 to demand climate justice and protection of ancestral lands from loggers and illegal gold miners. Several diplomats and ministers joined the demonstration, and Brazil's environment minister affirmed that protests are welcome. Tensions earlier in the week saw activists block the conference entrance and force their way into a secured tent area, clashing with security. Negotiators from roughly 200 countries continue talks on a fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap while developing nations press for adaptation finance; a parallel "People's Summit" convenes at the university.
50,000 Rally in Belém as COP30 Reaches Midpoint — Indigenous Groups Demand Climate Justice
About 50,000 Indigenous people and climate activists marched through Belém at the midpoint of COP30 to demand climate justice and protection of ancestral lands from loggers and illegal gold miners. Several diplomats and ministers joined the demonstration, and Brazil's environment minister affirmed that protests are welcome. Tensions earlier in the week saw activists block the conference entrance and force their way into a secured tent area, clashing with security. Negotiators from roughly 200 countries continue talks on a fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap while developing nations press for adaptation finance; a parallel "People's Summit" convenes at the university.
01:49 PM, 11/16/2025Environment
Mass March at COP30: Indigenous Peoples and Activists Take to the Streets
About 50,000 Indigenous people and international climate activists marched through the centre of Belém on Saturday, marking the midpoint of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30). The demonstration, billed as the "March for the Climate," called for climate justice and urgent protection of Indigenous ancestral lands threatened by loggers and illegal gold miners.
Organisers said the sizeable crowd included contingents from across Brazil and abroad, and several diplomats and government ministers attending COP30 joined the street mobilisation, lending official visibility to protesters' demands.
"Protests are welcome in Brazil," said Environment Minister Marina Silva, noting that public demonstrations are part of Brazil's consolidated democracy.
Tensions have flared around the conference site in recent days. On Friday, dozens of Indigenous people and other activists briefly blocked the main entrance to the conference. Earlier in the week, on Tuesday evening, some protesters forced their way into the entrance hall of the heavily secured tent complex, breaking doors and engaging in scuffles with security personnel.
Negotiations and Parallel Events
At COP30, representatives of around 200 countries are negotiating through next week on measures to speed up efforts to curb global warming. A central focus of the talks is a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels – oil, gas and coal – while developing nations are pressing for greater financial support to adapt to increasingly severe climate impacts such as heavier rainfall and droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and storms.
In parallel with the UN talks, a "People's Summit" at the local university is bringing together hundreds of organisations, movements and networks from Brazil and abroad to discuss grassroots responses, Indigenous rights and community-led climate solutions.
Why it matters: The Belém protests underscore the intersection of Indigenous rights and global climate policy, highlighting pressure from civil society for stronger action on fossil fuels and for financial assistance to vulnerable countries and communities.