Indigenous Voices at COP30: The Fight Against Fossil Fuels and Climate Injustice

Sat Nov 22 2025 16:03:46 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As negotiations at COP30 heat up over fossil fuel commitments, indigenous representatives raise urgent concerns about the impact on their communities and the environment.

At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, tensions rise as nations clash over fossil fuel commitments amid pressing climate goals. Indigenous groups, particularly the Munduruku, demand greater action to protect their lands and sovereignty, emphasizing the need for financial accountability from wealthier nations. This heated summit highlights the urgent intersection of climate justice and indigenous rights, amid protests and calls for accountability.

A bitter row over fossil fuels has broken out at the COP30 UN climate talks in Belém, Brazil, as the meeting formally runs over time.

At the heart of the row is a disagreement over how strong a deal should be on working to reduce the world's use of fossil fuels, whose emissions are by far the largest contributor to climate change.

The dispute pits groups of countries against each other, but all 194 parties must agree in order to pass a deal at the two-week summit.

Representatives and observers from inside a guarded negotiating room report that the talks have become increasingly challenging, with one negotiator stating there is a lot of fighting.

The aim was to conclude the talks promptly, but various logistical pressures are mounting, including delegations’ accommodation issues.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and other countries including the UK advocate for stronger commitments to expedite fossil fuel reductions, pushing to advance a deal from COP28 which had initiated a global transition away from fossil fuels.

Notably absent from recent drafts is mention of fossil fuels, a point of contention as countries like Russia, India, and Saudi Arabia resist calls for stronger action.

Outside the main venue, protestors from the indigenous Ipereg Ayu movement, representing the Munduruku group, emphasized their demands for a future without fossil fuels and greater recognition of indigenous rights.

Campaigners chant slogans like fossil fuels out and call for immediate action to protect the Amazon, illustrating the heightened urgency of the situation.

While discussions on climate finance continue, many delegates from developing nations stress the importance of substantial financial support in any fossil fuel agreement, as they highlight the inequities of climate change impacts on their communities.

This year’s summit has highlighted the largest participation of indigenous delegates yet, bringing their voices directly into the heart of climate negotiations, advocating not only for environmental justice but for the preservation of their ancestral lands and cultures.