Thousands of people marched in the Brazilian city of Belem on Saturday as the United Nations’ COP30 climate conference reached its halfway point.
Organizers named the event the “March of the Great People”.
The mass mobilization follows two indigenous-led protests that disrupted the climate conference earlier in the week.
On Saturday, protesters marched 4.5 kilometers (2.8 mi) into the city.
The environmental activists were joined by indigenous people who held banners, flags, raised slogans and played music from speakers.
The last such protest at the UN’s annual climate summit was four years ago at COP26 in Glasgow.
The previous three annual gatherings were held in Egypt, Dubai and Azerbaijan, whose governments were not friendly towards protests during the conference.
COP30 in Belém runs until Friday and environmental activists are hoping some progress can be made on the issue of climate change and its adverse impacts, particularly on vulnerable communities.
In parallel with the UN meeting, a “People’s Summit” is also being held at the University of Belém, gathering hundreds of NGOs, environmentalist movements and networks from Brazil and abroad. The Activist Roundtable has met during United Nations summits since 2023.
Workers demand compensation
At the rally, protesters reiterated their demand for compensation for the harm caused to poor and marginalized communities by corporations and governments deemed responsible for the Earth’s warming, which has little impact on the climate.
To signal a funeral for fossil fuels, the main contributor to climate change, some marchers wore black.
Protesters paraded three coffins marked with the words “coal,” “oil” and “gas.”
In mourning the many deaths of environmentalist activists, hundreds of protesters wore red shirts, symbolizing the blood they shed to protect the environment.
Protesters also held a Brazilian flag emblazoned with the words “Protect the Amazon”, a reference to the Amazon rainforest, which is a vital tool in the fight against carbon emissions that are threatened by deforestation and commercial farming.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico