BELÉM, PA – A fleet of six sailboats, named the Flotilla for Change, is heading to Belém, bringing a delegation of around 50 activists, scientists, and delegates from different parts of the world. The transcontinental mobilization, whose flagship vessel is the Sababa (which departed from New Zealand and sailed 17,500 miles), represents an act of popular leadership and climate action in practice, contrasting sharply with the high carbon footprint of aviation that fuels the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30).
Organized in solidarity with the Convergence Axes of the People’s Summit, the Flotilla embodies the urgency of Climate Justice and the defense of territories and “sea territories.” The journey included stops in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Mindelo, Cape Verde, and brought crucial voices from the Global South to the Amazon, such as activist Melody Barry-Yobo from Ogoniland, Nigeria, who connects the struggle against fossil fuel extraction in the Niger Delta with the Amazonian cause.
A Battle of Narratives
Upon arriving in Belém, the Flotilla’s mission is clear: to challenge the narrative of the official conference, which activists say is dominated by corporate interests.
“We want to confront the fossil fuel industry. It will once again be present at the Conference, carrying out massive lobbying, and that’s why it is so important that the global Climate Justice movement is also there,” says Katharin Henneberger, former member of the German parliament and crew member of Flotilla for Change.
The activists’ decision to travel by sailboats serves as a floating laboratory and a public demonstration that climate leadership begins with practice, rejecting high-emission modes of transport.
Citizen Science and Diversity on Board
On board the sailboats, the crew operates as a citizen science laboratory, conducting research on ocean health, including plastic monitoring and the collection of data on wildlife and water quality.
The composition of the crew directly reflects the Summit’s commitment to diversity. Land and sea workers, anti-racist and LGBTQIA+ activists, scientists, delegates, and youth from multiple nationalities sail together. The Flotilla requires all members to undergo mandatory Cultural Sensitivity and Anti-Racism training, reinforcing that the climate struggle is inseparable from social justice.
Agenda in Belém
The Flotilla will remain in Belém until the end of November and has an intense agenda within the People’s Summit:
November 13–14: Participation in the People’s Summit program, with a focus on the axis “Living Territories and Sea Territories, Popular and Food Sovereignty.”
November 14: Roundtable and Listening/Learning Event on board the Rainbow Warrior, docked at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01.
November 15: Mass participation in the People’s Summit’s closing Popular March.