Crowds march on doorstep of UN climate talks in Brazil

Marching to the beat of sound systems, thousands of climate protesters are taking their message to the doors of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.

In the host city of Belém, demonstrators chanting and singing “Free the Amazon” carry three giant coffins marked Oil, Coal and Gas, flanked by two angels of death.

Indigenous groups displayed banners reading “we are the answer” as an inflatable elephant and anaconda made their way through the crowd in the hot sun.

It was the first time since 2021 that protesters were allowed to demonstrate outside the UN climate talks. The last three took place in countries that do not allow public protests.

“Fossil fuels are still being burned. We know very well what it’s like to live on the front lines of climate change,” climate activist Brianna Fruean from Samoa, an island extremely vulnerable to climate change, told the BBC.

“We are here after so many police officers, we are marching for justice, for the end of fossil fuels,” said Ilan, one of 350 non-governmental organizations living in Brazil.

Indigenous communities, Brazilian youth groups and activists joined the march in thousands.

Some held signs reading “draw borders now”, calling for indigenous groups to be given legal ownership of their territory.

Hundreds of indigenous groups live in the Amazon and are viewed by experts as the best guardians of biodiversity and forests.

Little sister protests have taken place all over the world, including the UK.

comes later Protesters carrying banners broke through security lines at the summit on TuesdayTwo security guards were slightly injured in the incident and there was limited damage to the venue.

Meanwhile, further north in Belém, negotiations continued at the COP30 talks on Saturday. Nearly 200 countries are coming together to make progress in combating climate change.

Little progress has been made in the first week of talks, but some delegations say they are pressing for an agreed strategy to deliver on past promises to move away from the use of planet-warming fossil fuels.

Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, who hosted the talks, chose the city of Belém to draw the world’s attention to the Amazon and indigenous peoples.

However, shortly before the talks started last week, his government Brazilian state oil company granted oil exploration permit At the mouth of the Amazon.