„COP30 will only be successful if it listens to the voices of the forest“

With the world’s biggest climate summit heading to the Amazon, COP30 carries both symbolic power and real stakes: Will the conference in Belém finally bridge the gap between climate pledges and action, or repeat discussing targets and promises? Henrique Frota, Executive Director of our Brazilian partner network ABONG, demands that COP30 delivers justice for the planet — and its peoples.

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By choosing Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, the organizers aim to draw global attention to a critical ecosystem and its inhabitants. In this context, can we expect meaningful and positive signals to emerge from COP30?

Holding COP30 in Belém is both symbolic and deeply strategic. Bringing the world’s most important climate conference to the heart of the Amazon sends a powerful message: that the survival of this ecosystem is directly linked to the survival of our planet. From the perspective of Brazilian civil society, we expect meaningful outcomes that go beyond diplomatic statements or voluntary commitments.

We hope that COP30 will foster stronger international cooperation on climate finance, forest protection, and the recognition of the Amazon’s peoples as central actors in global climate governance. This must include concrete measures to support sustainable economies, reinforce the rights of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities, and ensure that the Global North assumes its historical responsibility for emissions.

In short, COP30 will only be successful if it listens to the voices of the forest — not as a backdrop for speeches, but as protagonists in shaping global climate solutions.

The venue has also sparked discussion and criticism. What impact could hosting the conference there have on Brazilian civil society, the people of Belém, and the wider Amazon region?

Hosting COP30 in Belém brings both opportunities and real risks that must be openly discussed. On one hand, the conference can project the Amazon and its peoples onto the global stage, strengthening the participation of civil society and demanding greater responsibility from world leaders. On the other hand, there is a genuine concern that the event may reproduce patterns of inequality and exclusion that have long marked the region.

The sudden influx of investment and infrastructure projects could inflate local prices, displace vulnerable communities, and prioritize short-term beautification works over structural improvements that truly benefit the population. We already see signs of speculative real estate pressures, increased living costs, and social tensions in certain areas of Belém. There is also the risk that Indigenous and traditional voices may be used symbolically in speeches, without being meaningfully included in the decision-making process.

For Brazilian civil society, the challenge is to ensure that COP30 does not become an event for elites or a showcase for greenwashing. The legacy must be social, environmental, and democratic — not just aesthetic or promotional. If the conference leaves behind displacement, environmental degradation, or unfulfilled promises, it will have failed those who live in the Amazon and who have always been its true defenders.

What message must COP30 send this year? What concrete outcomes are essential for it to be considered a success?

COP30 must send a clear and urgent message to the world: there is no climate justice without social justice. It is no longer enough to discuss targets and promises. The world expects concrete, verifiable commitments that address the root causes of the crisis — inequality, deforestation, and unsustainable consumption patterns.

To be considered a success, COP30 must deliver:

• Stronger emission reduction targets aligned with the 1.5°C limit;
• Robust and fair climate finance, including new mechanisms for adaptation and loss and damage;
• Recognition and protection of the rights of Indigenous and traditional peoples, who are the true guardians of the forest;
• Advances on the Indicators of the Global Goal of Adaptation with disaggregated data.

Above all, COP30 must reaffirm that combating the climate emergency requires political courage, solidarity among nations, and respect for local knowledge. From Belém, the world should hear a message of hope — but also of accountability and action.

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Henrique Frota is Executive Director of the Associação Brasileira de Organizações Não Governamentais (ABONG), the umbrella organization for Brazilian non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Interview