In a historic act, Ministers Marina Silva and Sônia Guajajara joined movements and leaders from 65 countries, affirming that the solution to the climate crisis comes from the “guardians of life” and the construction of a new “roadmap.”
The capital of Pará state is hosting a massive demonstration of popular and political strength with the Global March for Climate Justice, on the fifth day of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30).
The March reinforces the voice of the Global South with the participation of more than 30,000 people from around the world. The route is 4.5 km long, between the São Brás Market and the Cabana Village, organized into blocks of Social, Internationalist, and Just Transition Movements.
The act translates into a powerful warning: the peoples who resist daily deforestation and the greed that commodifies land and life are the true agents responsible for guiding the climate solution. The protest is the main political counterpoint to the official leadership, uniting the agenda of the federal government and the voice of the grassroots in a single square.
The voices of the Amazon: Sônia Guajajara and Marina Silva
The most emblematic moment of the morning is the participation of Ministers Marina Silva (Environment and Climate Change) and Sônia Guajajara (Indigenous Peoples), who endorse the March, recognizing the street as the fundamental space for democracy and climate justice.
Sônia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples, emphasizes that the Amazon has become the center of the global debate:
“We, the indigenous peoples, who have always been here, are gathered here at this moment to welcome the world. It is the Amazon’s turn to speak to the world. It is our turn to meet the Cerrado, the Atlantic Forest, the Pampa, the Pantanal, the Caatinga, which are also being destroyed. That is why this place becomes, at this moment, the blue zone of COP30, where the guardians of life meet.”
The Minister reaffirms that the indigenous movement and traditional peoples are responsible for resisting the ills caused by greed.
Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, welcomes the event, contrasting popular participation with the history of closed summits:
“In other political realities of the world, where demonstrations were only held within the UN space, now, in Brazil, a country of the Global South, with a hard-won and consolidated democracy, welcome to the squares.”
The Minister repeats President Lula’s call, demanding that COP30 be the “COP of truth” and “implementation,” and that the priority be the end of fossil fuel dependence.
“We have to map out the path to transition, to the end of dependence on coal, oil, and gas. It is fundamental that the world demonstrates that we will indeed adapt. […] Our commitment is zero deforestation.”
Marina Silva reinforces that the struggle involves combating environmental racism, the destruction of Mother Earth, and the dependence of diverse peoples, recognizing the work of rubber tappers, riverside communities, coconut breakers, and quilombola communities.
Alert and Commitment
The March is organized based on the urgent need to ensure that the voices of the streets – those affected, those in the peripheries, indigenous peoples, and workers – are heard at the COP30 negotiation tables. The 4.5 km route is a symbol of global resistance demanding the fulfillment of climate goals and the construction of a Just Transition Project that moves from theory to practice in the Global South.