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Protesters from indigenous groups clashed with security guards last night after forcing their way into the COP30 summit in Brazil.
The climate conference, which officially began on Monday, is how the world can mitigate global heating, in addition to improve wider environmental protections.
However the protesters, some beating drums, demanded higher protections for forests, with some carrying signs saying ‘Our land is just not on the market’, and chanting ‘They can’t resolve for us without us’.
Video showed one leader, known only by the name Nato, saying: ‘We are able to’t eat money. We wish our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers.’
He described the protest as ‘a moment of revolt, of indignation’, saying ‘We indigenous people feel the defeat of our territory in our skins.’
Staff used tables and chairs to barricade the doorway to the ‘blue zone’ on the centre of the venue, while a police officer was filmed being pushed away swiftly in a wheelchair.
Joao Santiago, a professor on the Federal University of Para, said: ‘The Indigenous movement desired to present its demands contained in the blue zone but weren’t allowed in.’
A whole bunch had marched to the conference, but calm was restored soon after the clashes, because the protesters dispersed.
Although there have been efforts to incorporate indigenous groups within the summit, with dozens arriving by boat to attend discussions, many feel this is just not enough – particularly when hundreds of acres of rainforest were cut down just to construct a road for the summit.
A spokesperson for United Nations Climate Change told AFP that there have been ‘minor injuries to 2 security staff, and minor damage to the venue’.
They added: ‘Brazilian and UN security personnel took protective actions to secure the venue, following all established security protocols.
‘Brazilian and UN authorities are investigating the incident. The venue is fully secured, and COP negotiations proceed.’
Under current policies in place, the world is facing long-term global warming of two.8C, in keeping with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), far above the 1.5C set out within the Paris Accord ten years ago.
Visiting Belem ahead of the summit, Keir Starmer admitted that ‘consensus is gone’ within the UK in addition to globally, despite ‘unequivocal’ science.
The UK remains to be ‘doubling down on the fight against climate change’, Sir Keir said, as he defended clean energy policies.
Nonetheless, this was somewhat undermined by his decision not to speculate in a Brazilian-led rainforest fund, which the UK had played a key role in establishing.
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