At the People’s Summit, ILNSS prepares class-based and independent intervention against COP30

Days before the start of COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Belém, Brazil, delegations from across the country are preparing for a major mobilization in the Amazonian capital: a counterpoint to the official gathering of governments and corporations.

From November 12 to 16, workers, Indigenous peoples, quilombolas (Afro-descendant communities), peasants, youth, environmentalists, and activists from social and trade union movements across Brazil will take part in the People’s Summit, a parallel event that aims to present real alternatives to the environmental crisis caused by capitalism.

The Summit will include demonstrations, debates, and diverse activities,  from a river flotilla on the opening day to plenaries, assemblies, workshops, and a cultural festival. On November 15, the Global People’s Climate March is expected to gather around 15,000 people.

The participation of the International Labour Network

The International Labour Network of Solidarity and Struggles (ILNSS) will take part in the People’s Summit through its Brazilian affiliate, CSP-Conlutas, presenting a class-based and anti-capitalist perspective that denounces the corporate interests behind the false narrative of a “green transition.” The intervention will expose not only the hypocrisy of imperialist powers but also that of the governments of Lula da Silva (Brazil), Helder Barbalho (Governor of Pará), and Igor Normando (Mayor of Belém).

On November 13, CSP-Conlutas and its affiliated organizations will hold a panel titled “COP30: A mechanism of capital to legitimize the destruction of the Amazon and the planet.” It will feature activists such as Osmarino Amâncio (rubber tapper), Erasmo Theófilo (peasant leader), Raquel Tremembé (Indigenous leader), Sueidy Marília Ferreira (from the mothers’ movement against police violence in Pará), and others from quilombola, riverside, and workers’ communities.

The following day, November 14, will feature the Plenary for Reparations to Indigenous Peoples Victims of Dictatorship Crimes, organized by Professor Gilberto Marques, calling for historical memory and justice for crimes committed during Brazil’s military dictatorship.

On November 15, during the People’s Climate March, CSP-Conlutas will gather at the Construction Workers’ Union of Belém, whose members staged a major strike this year at COP30 construction sites, exposing the contrast between massive public funding for private contractors and the worsening conditions of workers.

Governments’ climate targets fall short

The mobilizations come as the official climate narrative is being unmasked. On October 28, the UN Climate Change Secretariat released the 2025 NDC Synthesis Report, showing that countries’ current pledges would reduce emissions by only 17% by 2035, while science demands at least 60% cuts. Major polluters such as the EU and China have not even formalized their targets.

These findings confirm that COP30 — hosted in Brazil under President Lula and supported by oil companies and agribusiness — will again be a stage for empty talk about “green economy” and “just transition,” legitimizing the continuation of a predatory capitalist model.

“While the government poses as a climate leader, Lula has approved oil exploration along the Equatorial Margin and keeps subsidizing agribusiness,” said Atnágoras Lopes, CSP-Conlutas National Executive member.

“Real solutions will come from the peoples of the forest and the working class. In Belém, we will raise our banners for the defense of the Amazon and against this capitalist model that is destroying the planet,” added Rosi Pantoja, from CSP-Conlutas Pará.

Photo: João Paulo Guimarães / Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB)