Despite the conference being held on Indigenous Peoples’ land, activists claim that their voices were not heard due to negotiations taking place primarily in English and exclusion in decision making. Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to the fact that they inhabit ecologically sensitive areas and are vulnerable to climate change-induced displacement.
Conservationists also share concerns over the Brazilian government granting a state oil firm a license to conduct exploratory oil drilling near the Amazon, potentially harming its fragile ecosystem. The talks in Belém did not explicitly address moving away from fossil fuels and bridging the gap between countries' pledged emissions, and the levels needed to keep the atmosphere reaching dangerously high temperatures.
A key topic of contention has been the demarcation of Indigenous land, so that the rights of Indigenous Peoples’ are legally recognised...
On November 11, Amazonian Indigenous land defenders took to the streets to protest the lack of action taken against oil exploration, illegal mining and other activities that disturb the ecosystem surrounding their land. A key topic of contention has been the demarcation of Indigenous land, so that the rights of Indigenous Peoples’ are legally recognised, allowing them to challenge such enterprises that exploit their land. Declaratory ordinances have been announced for 10 new Indigenous lands in Brazil.
The inclusion of thousands of indigenous voices at COP30 has been groundbreaking, yet the conference did not uphold initial promises to challenge issues that directly affect Indigenous communities in vulnerable areas. Final negotiations delivered a deal where $120 billion a year was pledged to vulnerable countries at risk of the harsh effects of climate change.