2nd Report from UN Climate Change Conference COP30

10^th– 11^th Nov. 2025 Belém, Brazil

Two days ago, the COP30 Climate Conference officially began. In his opening remarks, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, warned the delegates: “It will never be forgiven if the world community fails to act.” The first task of the summit is to approve the agenda — no small challenge, with over 100 topics ranging from climate finance to forest protection, and each country with its own national priorities.

This year’s COP is being held in Belém, at the edge of the Amazon — spanning over nine countries, home to 35 million people, and often labelled the “green lungs of the Earth.” Covering seven million square kilometres, it plays a vital role in regulating our planet’s climate. Yet recent studies show that 35% of the forest has already been cleared or degraded, pushing the entire ecosystem close to a tipping point of irreversible damage

Yesterday, Indigenous communities staged a protest at the COP entrance and caused minor damage. Today, nearly 100 boats of the “Climate Justice Flotilla” — carrying 5,000 Indigenous activists and forest defenders — arrived in Belém to join the People’s Summit at the University of Pará. More than 10,000 civil society participants are expected to gather, united in their call to protect nature and the rights of traditional peoples.