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California tribe enters first-of-its-kind agreement with the state to practice cultural burns

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Thursday, February 27, 2025

Northern California’s Karuk Tribe has for more than a century faced significant restrictions on cultural burning — the setting of intentional fires for both ceremonial and practical purposes, such as reducing brush to limit the risk of wildfires.That changed this week, thanks to legislation championed by the tribe and passed by the state last year that allows federally recognized tribes in California to burn freely once they reach agreements with the California Natural Resources Agency and local air quality officials. The tribe announced Thursday that it was the first to reach such an agreement with the agency.“Karuk has been a national thought leader on cultural fire,” said Geneva E.B. Thompson, Natural Resources’ deputy secretary for tribal affairs. “So, it makes sense that they would be a natural first partner in this space because they have a really clear mission and core commitment to get this work done.”In the past, cultural burn practitioners first needed to get a burn permit from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, a department within the Natural Resources Agency, and a smoke permit from the local air district. The law passed in September 2024, SB 310, allows the state government to, respectfully, “get out of the way” of tribes practicing cultural burns, said Thompson.For the Karuk Tribe, Cal Fire will no longer hold regulatory or oversight authority over the burns and will instead act as a partner and consultant. The previous arrangement, tribal leaders say, essentially amounted to one nation telling another nation what to do on its land — a violation of sovereignty. Now, collaboration can happen through a proper government-to-government relationship.The Karuk Tribe estimates that, conservatively, its more than 120 villages would complete at least 7,000 burns each year before contact with European settlers. Some may have been as small as an individual pine tree or patch of tanoak trees. Other burns may have spanned dozens of acres.“When it comes to that ability to get out there and do frequent burning to basically survive as an indigenous community,” said Bill Tripp, director for the Karuk Tribe Natural Resource Department, “one: you don’t have major wildfire threats because everything around you is burned regularly. Two: Most of the plants and animals that we depend on in the ecosystem are actually fire-dependent species.” The Karuk Tribe’s ancestral territory extends along much of the Klamath River in what is now the Klamath National Forest, where its members have fished for salmon, hunted for deer and collected tanoak acorns for food for thousands of years. The tribe, whose language is distinct from that of all other California tribes, is currently the second largest in the state, having more than 3,600 members. Trees of life Early European explorers of California consistently described open, park-like woods dominated by oaks in areas where the forest transitions to a zone mainly of conifers such as pines, fir and cedar. The park-like woodlands were no accident. For thousands of years, Indigenous people have tended these woods. Oaks are regarded as a “tree of life” because of their many uses. Their acorns provide a nutritious food for people and animals. Indigenous people have used low-intensity fires to clear litter and underbrush and to nurture the oaks as productive orchards. Burning controls insects and promotes growth of culturally important plants and fungi among the oaks. Debris, brush and small trees consumed by low-intensity fire. Debris, brush and small trees consumed by low-intensity fire. This stewardship reduced the risk of devastating wildfires. Periodic clearing of underbrush and understory tree growth reduces ladder fuels that can channel flames into the treetops. Times reporting, USDA Paul Duginski LOS ANGELES TIMES The history of the government’s suppression of cultural burning is long and violent. In 1850, California passed a law that inflicted any fines or punishments a court found “proper” on cultural burn practitioners.In a 1918 letter to a forest supervisor, a district ranger in the Klamath National Forest — in the Karuk Tribe’s homeland — suggested that to stifle cultural burns, “the only sure way is to kill them off, every time you catch one sneaking around in the brush like a coyote, take a shot at him.”For Thompson, the new law is a step toward righting those wrongs.“I think SB 310 is part of that broader effort to correct those older laws that have caused harm, and really think through: How do we respect and support tribal sovereignty, respect and support traditional ecological knowledge, but also meet the climate and wildfire resiliency goals that we have as a state?” she said.The devastating 2020 fire year triggered a flurry of fire-related laws that aimed to increase the use of intentional fire on the landscape, including — for the first time — cultural burns.The laws granted cultural burns exemptions from the state’s environmental impact review process and created liability protections and funds for use in the rare event that an intentional burn grows out of control.“The generous interpretation of it is recognizing cultural burn practitioner knowledge,” said Becca Lucas Thomas, an ethnic studies lecturer at Cal Poly and cultural burn practitioner with the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region. “In trying to get more fire on the ground for wildfire prevention, it’s important that we make sure that we have practitioners who are actually able to practice.”The new law, aimed at forming government-to-government relationships with Native tribes, can only allow federally recognized tribes to enter these new agreements. However, Thompson said it will not stop the agency from forming strong relationships with unrecognized tribes and respecting their sovereignty.“Cal Fire has provided a lot of technical assistance and resources and support for those non-federally recognized tribes to implement these burns,” said Thompson, “and we are all in and fully committed to continuing that work in partnership with the non-federally-recognized tribes.”Cal Fire has helped Lucas Thomas navigate the state’s imposed burn permit process to the point that she can now comfortably navigate the system on her own, and she said Cal Fire handles the tribe’s smoke permits. Last year, the tribe completed its first four cultural burns in over 150 years.“Cal Fire, their unit here, has been truly invested in the relationship and has really dedicated their resources to supporting us,” said Lucas Thomas, ”with their stated intention of, ‘we want you guys to be able to burn whenever you want, and you just give us a call and let us know what’s going on.’”

After suppression of Indigenous cultural burning, the state agrees Northern California's Karuk Tribe may practice the burns more freely than it has in over 175 years.

That changed this week, thanks to legislation championed by the tribe and passed by the state last year that allows federally recognized tribes in California to burn freely once they reach agreements with the California Natural Resources Agency and local air quality officials.

The tribe announced Thursday that it was the first to reach such an agreement with the agency.

“Karuk has been a national thought leader on cultural fire,” said Geneva E.B. Thompson, Natural Resources’ deputy secretary for tribal affairs. “So, it makes sense that they would be a natural first partner in this space because they have a really clear mission and core commitment to get this work done.”

In the past, cultural burn practitioners first needed to get a burn permit from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, a department within the Natural Resources Agency, and a smoke permit from the local air district.

The law passed in September 2024, SB 310, allows the state government to, respectfully, “get out of the way” of tribes practicing cultural burns, said Thompson.

For the Karuk Tribe, Cal Fire will no longer hold regulatory or oversight authority over the burns and will instead act as a partner and consultant. The previous arrangement, tribal leaders say, essentially amounted to one nation telling another nation what to do on its land — a violation of sovereignty. Now, collaboration can happen through a proper government-to-government relationship.

The Karuk Tribe estimates that, conservatively, its more than 120 villages would complete at least 7,000 burns each year before contact with European settlers. Some may have been as small as an individual pine tree or patch of tanoak trees. Other burns may have spanned dozens of acres.

“When it comes to that ability to get out there and do frequent burning to basically survive as an indigenous community,” said Bill Tripp, director for the Karuk Tribe Natural Resource Department, “one: you don’t have major wildfire threats because everything around you is burned regularly. Two: Most of the plants and animals that we depend on in the ecosystem are actually fire-dependent species.”

The Karuk Tribe’s ancestral territory extends along much of the Klamath River in what is now the Klamath National Forest, where its members have fished for salmon, hunted for deer and collected tanoak acorns for food for thousands of years. The tribe, whose language is distinct from that of all other California tribes, is currently the second largest in the state, having more than 3,600 members.

Trees of life

Early European explorers of California consistently described open, park-like woods dominated by oaks in areas where the forest transitions to a zone mainly of conifers such as pines, fir and cedar.

The park-like woodlands were no accident. For thousands of years, Indigenous people have tended these woods. Oaks are regarded as a “tree of life” because of their many uses. Their acorns provide a nutritious food for people and animals.

Indigenous people have used low-intensity fires to clear litter and underbrush and to nurture the oaks as productive orchards. Burning controls insects and promotes growth of culturally important plants and fungi among the oaks.

Pencil illustration of a small fire on the forest floor burning up small shrubs

Debris, brush and small trees

consumed by low-intensity fire.

Debris, brush and small trees consumed by low-intensity fire.

This stewardship reduced the risk of devastating wildfires. Periodic clearing of underbrush and understory tree growth reduces ladder fuels that can channel flames into the treetops.

Illustration of a parklike forest with space between the trees free of debris.

Times reporting, USDA

Paul Duginski LOS ANGELES TIMES

The history of the government’s suppression of cultural burning is long and violent. In 1850, California passed a law that inflicted any fines or punishments a court found “proper” on cultural burn practitioners.

In a 1918 letter to a forest supervisor, a district ranger in the Klamath National Forest — in the Karuk Tribe’s homeland — suggested that to stifle cultural burns, “the only sure way is to kill them off, every time you catch one sneaking around in the brush like a coyote, take a shot at him.”

For Thompson, the new law is a step toward righting those wrongs.

“I think SB 310 is part of that broader effort to correct those older laws that have caused harm, and really think through: How do we respect and support tribal sovereignty, respect and support traditional ecological knowledge, but also meet the climate and wildfire resiliency goals that we have as a state?” she said.

The devastating 2020 fire year triggered a flurry of fire-related laws that aimed to increase the use of intentional fire on the landscape, including — for the first time — cultural burns.

The laws granted cultural burns exemptions from the state’s environmental impact review process and created liability protections and funds for use in the rare event that an intentional burn grows out of control.

“The generous interpretation of it is recognizing cultural burn practitioner knowledge,” said Becca Lucas Thomas, an ethnic studies lecturer at Cal Poly and cultural burn practitioner with the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region. “In trying to get more fire on the ground for wildfire prevention, it’s important that we make sure that we have practitioners who are actually able to practice.”

The new law, aimed at forming government-to-government relationships with Native tribes, can only allow federally recognized tribes to enter these new agreements. However, Thompson said it will not stop the agency from forming strong relationships with unrecognized tribes and respecting their sovereignty.

“Cal Fire has provided a lot of technical assistance and resources and support for those non-federally recognized tribes to implement these burns,” said Thompson, “and we are all in and fully committed to continuing that work in partnership with the non-federally-recognized tribes.”

Cal Fire has helped Lucas Thomas navigate the state’s imposed burn permit process to the point that she can now comfortably navigate the system on her own, and she said Cal Fire handles the tribe’s smoke permits. Last year, the tribe completed its first four cultural burns in over 150 years.

“Cal Fire, their unit here, has been truly invested in the relationship and has really dedicated their resources to supporting us,” said Lucas Thomas, ”with their stated intention of, ‘we want you guys to be able to burn whenever you want, and you just give us a call and let us know what’s going on.’”

Read the full story here.

Photos courtesy of

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After COP30, Indigenous advocates celebrate gains while warning of unfinished work

“They can’t decide for us without us.”

If there is one image that encapsulates COP30, this year’s global climate change conference in Belém, Brazil, it might be this: Indigenous activists, in traditional clothing and regalia, storming past security into a secure zone made for international negotiators and pre-approved delegates. The action occurred on the second day of COP30 and underscored how this conference would be different from others. This COP had been billed as the “Indigenous COP,” given the venue’s proximity to the Amazon and Brazil’s efforts to ensure Indigenous participation. But that presence was still limited by the nature of U.N. negotiations, in which member states have voting rights and Indigenous peoples who haven’t achieved internationally recognized statehood are unable to vote on decisions such as when and how to transition away from fossil fuels. Indigenous activists who didn’t receive official permission to enter the secure zones didn’t wait for permission. On multiple days throughout the conference, they marched in the streets, blocked the doors to the conference, pushed their way in, and made sure the world knew, “they can’t decide for us without us.” To Kaeden Watts, a climate and Indigenous rights policy expert from the Māori tribes of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, and Tūhoe, who watched the conference unfold from Aotearoa New Zealand, it was a stark contrast to previous COPs he’s attended where Indigenous perspectives were often ignored or only heard when they were amplified by non-Indigenous allies like Greta Thunberg. This time, he saw news reporters interview Indigenous demonstrators and leaders who spoke about land rights and climate harms. “This time you were seeing the amplification of Indigenous voices purely from an incredible organizing effort,” Watts said. “That’s an outcome we very rarely see and it’s resulted in tangible change.” Before the end of COP, the government of Brazil took steps to demarcate the lands of 27 Indigenous peoples throughout Brazil, and promised to recognize 59 million additional hectares over the next five years. According to the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, an organization representing Indigenous peoples in Brazil, more Indigenous participants were represented at this COP than in the entire 30-year history of the conference: More than 5,000 Indigenous participants, including about 900 with accredited access to areas where negotiators and pre-approved delegates met. Indigenous advocates went into COP wanting nation-states to agree to a clear roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels and commitments to end deforestation. They had a slew of proposals they hoped to include in the Global Mutirão, a nonbinding international agreement among U.N. members at COP30, that would protect Indigenous rights and their territories. That didn’t happen, but countries did agree to formally recognize the importance of protecting Indigenous rights, including land rights, in the Just Transition Work Programme, a U.N. program to help countries transition off of fossil fuels. That’s a big deal to Emil Gualinga, who is a member of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku and participated in COP30 as a member of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, an official global caucus created to enable Indigenous peoples to engage in COP negotiations. Gualinga said that this year, Panama helped ensure the Just Transition Work Programme included a reference to Indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior and informed consent to what happens in their territories. This is increasingly important in light of studies that show mineral deposits critical to fossil-fuel free energy production are often found within Indigenous nations’ lands and waters. But while he’s proud of that achievement, Gualinga was among many who were disappointed by the failure of U.N. member states to commit to a specific plan to stop relying upon fossil fuels, allowing the atmosphere to continue its path toward warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, which scientists have warned will wreak catastrophic consequences on Earth. The final version of the Global Mutirão was watered down by representatives from oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia and countries with growing economies like China and India. “None of our proposals were taken into account for the ‘Global Mutirão’ text,” Gualinga said, noting that ‘Mutirão’ is an Indigenous name. ”But even so none of the proposals were taken into account.” Still, he isn’t discouraged. “The fight for Indigenous peoples is not only at the COP,” he added. International venues like COP are important spaces for environmental justice advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples to both defend planetary health and their rights to land and water, but are just one tool among many. This is something Gualinga knows intimately; his community in the Amazon forest of southern Ecuador have spent decades fighting against oil industry efforts to drill on their lands. He was only a child when the oil industry entered their territory. 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Brazil creates new Indigenous territories after COP30 protests

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government recognises 10 new Indigenous lands during climate summit.

The government of Brazil has created 10 new Indigenous territories, after protesters urged action at the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.The designation means the areas, including one in part of the Amazon, will have their culture and environment protected under Brazilian law - though this is not always enforced.The move follows similar actions from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose government recognised Indigenous possession of 11 territories last year. The latest measure formalised through a presidential decree.It comes as thousands have protested at the UN's annual climate conference, with some carrying signs reading "demarcation now".Earlier last week, demonstrators - some of whom were from Indigenous groups - carrying signs that read "our forests are not for sale" broke into the summit and tussled with security.Past recognition of Indigenous reserves banned mining and logging, as well as restricting commercial farming, in the areas they covered to prevent deforestation. Expanding the total area considered Indigenous territory could prevent up to 20% of additional deforestation and reduce carbon emissions by 26% by 2030, according to a study by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, the Amazon Environmental Research Institute and the Indigenous Climate Change Committee.The new protected areas span hundreds of thousands of hectares and are inhabited by thousands of people from the Mura, Tupinambá de Olivença, Pataxó, Guarani-Kaiowá, Munduruku, Pankará, and Guarani-Mbya indigenous peoples.One area overlaps more than 78% with the Amazon National Park, part of the bio-diverse rainforest which plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate and storing carbon.The Brazilian government's announcement came on Indigenous Peoples' Day at COP30 on Monday.Until the left-wing Lula re-entered office, no new Indigenous lands had been declared since 2018, it said.Under his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who promoted mining on Indigenous lands, the protections afforded to them were frequently not enforced.Lula's government has previously taken action to drive out illegal miners from indigenous lands.Currently, Indigenous lands encompass 117.4 million hectares - roughly equivalent to the size of Colombia, or around 13.8% of Brazil's territory. Hundreds of Indigenous groups live in Brazil, according to the country's census.The Amazon rainforest is already at risk of a renewed surge in deforestation as efforts grow to overturn a key ban to protect it. Thick and healthy forestry helps pull carbon out of the atmosphere.Carbon released through the burning of fossil fuels has contributed to climate change.Countries are gathering at COP30 in an effort to reach agreements on how to try to limit global average temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels and keep them "well below" 2C.The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says a large body of scientific evidence shows that warming of 2C or more would bring serious consequences, including extreme heat, higher sea levels and threats to food security.

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The UN climate conference in the Brazilian Amazon marks an unprecedented effort to elevate Indigenous concerns in negotiating rooms and on the streets.

Indigenous peoples are on the vanguard of climate action. Longstanding relationships with land means they endure the direct consequences of climate change. And their unique knowledge offers effective solutions to climate problems. But despite this, international climate policies have fallen short of encouraging Indigenous leadership. With the UN climate summit hosted in the Amazon for the first time, COP30 marks an unprecedented effort to elevate Indigenous voices. Returning to Brazil again after the 1992 and 2012 Rio conferences, COP30 has the largest Indigenous delegation in the summit’s history. More than 3,000 Indigenous representatives from around the world are in the Amazonian city of Belém. Inside and outside the negotiation rooms, Indigenous organisations and coalitions have brought an unprecedented agenda to the summit: pressure for climate justice centred on the recognition of land rights and fair financing mechanisms. Indigenous voices in diplomacy A new form of climate diplomacy is emerging. This shift marks the creation of space for Indigenous delegates to participate in formal discussions that were previously exclusive to government officials. Since 2019, the UN’s Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform has expanded the Indigenous role in official negotiations. At this year’s summit, more than 900 Indigenous delegates – a record number – are participating in official debates. Led by Brazil’s Minister for Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara, the COP30 presidency has encouraged Indigenous leadership in decision-making. This includes giving Indigenous delegates seats in negotiation rooms and embedding their demands in climate pledges and finance mechanisms. “Indigenous Peoples want to take part, not just show up”, said Guajajara. “We want to lead and be part of the solution. So far, the investments driven by COP decisions have failed to deliver results – the 1.5°C goal is slipping out of reach”. But turning community participation into political influence requires more than participation. Initiatives such as Kuntari Katu in Brazil assist Indigenous leaders in connecting their priorities with broader climate policies. Such training provides modules on topics such as carbon market mechanisms and equips Indigenous representatives with tools to communicate their priorities in climate debates. Indigenous influence at COP30 is not confined to formal diplomacy. Protests inside and outside the COP venue have amplified long-sidelined demands. Under the rallying cry “Our land is not for sale”, one of the demonstrations occupied areas of the COP30 venue with direct confrontation with the security staff. Thousands of activists also joined a four-kilometre march in the host city of Belém to call for action from leaders to stop environmental destruction. These protests have brought global attention to injustices that climate politics have long tried to contain. They highlight unresolved land-tenure conflicts and the rising violence faced by Indigenous communities on the frontline of climate impacts. Land rights as climate solutions Indigenous territories deliver some of the world’s most effective responses to the climate crisis, from curbing deforestation to storing vast amounts of carbon. Yet much Indigenous land remains without formal recognition, leaving it exposed to invasions by illegal mining, agribusiness expansion, and land grabs, including for renewable energy projects. COP30 has brought commitments to recognising Indigenous territories as climate solutions. During the opening ceremony, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasised the centrality of Indigenous territories to promote effective climate action. World leaders pledged to secure 160 million hectares of Indigenous and community lands by 2030. Indigenous organisations say pledges remain far from sufficient given the threats to their lands. The Munduruku Indigenous community, an indigenous people living in the Amazon River basin, made this clear with a major blockade at COP30. Their action created long queues at the summit entrance, delaying thousands of delegates. The disruption compelled the COP presidency to meet with Munduruku leaders, who pressed for the demarcation of their territories and the right to be consulted on development projects in their territory. Fair climate finance One of COP30’s major negotiation challenges is finalising the Baku-Belém Roadmap, which aims to unlock A$1.5 trillion in climate funding. Yet climate finance mechanisms have a long history of undervaluing Indigenous knowledge and governance. Indigenous organisations say that fairness must be central to these pledges. At the Leaders’ Summit, a multilateral coalition launched the Tropical Forests Forever Fund. This commits A$7.6 billion to protect over one billion hectares of forests. With backing from 53 nations and 19 sovereign investors, the fund earmarks 20% of its finance for Indigenous projects. The Forest Tenure Funders Group also renewed its pledge, with a commitment of A$2.7 billion to secure Indigenous land rights. Still, Indigenous advocates warn climate finance must go beyond dollar amounts. They want a shift in who controls the funding and how projects are governed. Placing Indigenous leadership at the centre of financing means making sure Indigenous communities can receive funding directly and have fair agreements that protect them from financial risks. Transformative leadership UN climate conferences have long been criticised for delivering incremental progress but little systemic change. Yet signs of political transformation are emerging. Beyond climate debates, significant Indigenous leadership is gaining momentum across other international environmental policies. In 2024, the UN’s meeting to combat desertification formalised a new caucus for Indigenous Peoples, while the Convention on Biological Diversity established a permanent Indigenous subsidiary body. These growing political shifts reveal that effective environmental actions depend on dismantling power inequalities in decisions. Inclusive leadership in policymaking may not completely address the environmental crisis, but it marks a turning point as historically silenced voices begin to lead from the centre. Danilo Urzedo receives funding from the Australian Research Council under the Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Healing Country (IC210100034).Oliver Tester receives funding from the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Healing Country. Stephen van Leeuwen receives funding from the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Healing Country.

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Protesters blockade Cop30 summit over plight of Indigenous peoples

Munduruku people demand to speak to Brazil’s president, saying they are never listened to• Cop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of the climate talks in BrazilProtesters blockaded the main entrance to the Cop30 climate conference for several hours early on Friday morning, demanding to speak to Brazil’s president about the plight of the country’s Indigenous peoples.About 50 people from the Munduruku people in the Amazon basin blocked the entrance with some assistance from international green groups, watched by a huge phalanx of riot police, soldiers and military vehicles. Continue reading...

Protesters blockaded the main entrance to the Cop30 climate conference for several hours early on Friday morning, demanding to speak to Brazil’s president about the plight of the country’s Indigenous peoples.About 50 people from the Munduruku people in the Amazon basin blocked the entrance with some assistance from international green groups, watched by a huge phalanx of riot police, soldiers and military vehicles.They hoped to speak to Lula da Silva to explain their grievances. “We demand the presence of President Lula, but unfortunately we are unable to do so, as always,” said one of the protesters. “We were always barred, we were never listened to.”Instead the group had to settle for André Corrêado Lago, the tall, amiable Cop president, who spent more than an hour listening and talking to the group’s representatives.Long queues formed outside the centre and delegates were diverted to a small side entrance. Eventually the activists relocated to a building to hold further discussions with Corrêa do Lago.These protests are just a small part of what is expected at the Belem summit. For the first time in four years the UN climate conference is being held in a democracy, and senior figures at the Cop30 conference centre have encouraged the presence of civil society groups.UN secretary-general António Guterres told the Guardian that Indigenous and other people’s organisations were needed to balance the power of corporate lobbyists, who have dominated recent summits. One in every 25 participants at this year’s summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to an analysis by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition, it emerged on Friday. Meanwhile Corrêa do Lago has said civil society will play an important role in raising the ambition of negotiators.That spirit pervades the conference and the meetings around it. For days, activists have flooded into Belém, many borne by boat along the Amazon River itself. On Wednesday, more than 100 vessels sailed in a protest flotilla up and down Guajará Bay close to the Federal University of Pará, which has become the venue for a “people’s summit” running alongside the main climate talks.On Saturday two inflatable serpents representing the spirit of resistance at Cop30 will be carried along the streets of the city, as thousands of Indigenous and other civil society activists remind jetsetting delegates where this Cop is taking place: the Amazon, the global frontline of environmental destruction and forest defence.Activists argue that at best Cop climate summits are a forum where the concerns of the developing world can be expressed in the full glare of media attention and relayed back to civil society in the global north.More than four events a day are being organised, ranging from protests against agribusinesses, transport projects and mining operations, to rallies for Palestine, health, women’s rights and Indigenous land demarcation. One demand that has emerged from civil society groups this year is a call for a new formalised body, the so-called Belém Action Mechanism (Bam), which would accelerate, coordinate and support a “just transition” towards a low-carbon economy and “orient the entire international system behind people-centred transitions at local and national levels, where workers and communities are in charge of decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods”, according to the Climate Action Network.The vast majority of events have been peaceful and some joyous, including a performance by the celebrated Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil.“What we are excited about in Brazil is that this country has a culture and a history of mass movements which really push political decisions for social change,” said Kudakwashe Manjonjo, who is an adviser for Power Shift Africa and part of the Climate Action Network.“We will be part of all the demonstrations that are happening both in and outside the conference to push for climate finance, just transition and support for adaptation …The global south is mass-led. The Cop coming to Brazil has shown that spirit. We have seen Indigenous people becoming part of the process in a way that just isn’t possible in the global north.”Louiza Salek, with the working group on Indigenous food sovereignty, said it was good to be part of the fight. She was singing “Bam Bam Bam Bam” to the tune of La Bamba with dozens of others in the hallway of the Cop to draw attention to the Belém Action Network, which wants leaders to step up their climate actions. “After three Cops with absolutely no demonstrations allowed, I feel like people want to be heard. We are all together and mobilising. We are in a democratic country where we can take actions. And this feels good. We need to be together collectively.”Inside the conference halls negotiations continued. On Thursday the official negotiating hours were extended to 9pm in order to deal with the four particularly thorny issues on which the presidency is taking special consultation. These are focused around finance, trade, emissions-cutting pledges and transparency. A similar extension was expected on Friday night, but in practice, talks could go on much later as Brazil strives to achieve progress in the consultations ahead of a stocktake session on Saturday.

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Brazil's COP30 Resumes After Security Clashes With Indigenous Protesters

By William James, Leonardo Benassatto and Simon JessopBELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -A day after Indigenous protesters stormed Brazil's COP30 climate...

By William James, Leonardo Benassatto and Simon JessopBELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -A day after Indigenous protesters stormed Brazil's COP30 climate summit, country delegates returned to negotiating actions, policies and financing for tackling climate change with an air of calm.The reopening had been slightly delayed for repairs to damage at the entrance from the previous night's clash, in which the U.N. said two security guards sustained minor injuries, but there were minimal changes to the airport-style baggage checks.Outside, two Brazilian navy vessels escorted a protest flotilla carrying Indigenous leaders and environmental activists around Belem's Guajara Bay. Participants held signs saying "Save the Amazon" or calling for land rights and hundreds of people - including Indigenous leaders, the Amazon city's residents and COP delegates - crowded the waterfront to watch.The talks are taking place behind closed doors, but the Brazilian presidency has scheduled a public 'stocktaking' session later on Wednesday at which delegates can express their concerns around issues such as carbon taxes and finance for countries affected most by warming.AL GORE TO ADDRESS THE SUMMITFormer U.S. Vice President Al Gore delivered his annual climate presentation to the summit - which the United States has snubbed this year, despite being the world's biggest historical polluter since the Industrial Revolution.After listing a string of recent extreme weather events across the world, from flooding to fires, Gore said: "How long are we going to stand by and keep turning the thermostat up so that these kinds of events get even worse?"The brief, dramatic clash on Tuesday night underlined the tension at this year's meeting, where President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has highlighted native peoples as key voices in deciding the world's future and how forests are managed.Indigenous groups from across Latin America sent representatives, with demands for an end to logging, mining, farming and fossil fuel extraction in the forest, which plays a vital role in soaking up carbon emissions.Some delegates were unsurprised by the melee."It's unfortunate that they went too far. But protest is what moves things along, in my mind," said Jack Hurd, head of both the World Economic Forum's Earth System Agenda and the Tropical Forest Alliance.'THE AMAZON IS AT A TIPPING POINT'Among the 195 governments taking part, many have expressed concern about a splintering in global consensus around climate action -- and have taken aim at the United States.Indigenous leaders have said they are aghast at the ongoing industry and development in the Amazon.A group representing Brazil's Indigenous communities said it was not responsible for organizing Tuesday's protest, but supported the "autonomy of all peoples to express themselves freely and democratically, without any form of paternalism - the kind that the State imposed on us for so many years.""We are here to keep demanding real commitments and to reaffirm that the answer is us," the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil said in a statement.The world's governments have so far failed to do enough to limit global warming increasing beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial average -- the threshold at which scientists say we could unleash catastrophic extremes.Last month, scientists warned that the Amazon rainforest could begin to die back and transform into a different ecosystem, such as a savannah, if rapid deforestation continues as the global average temperature crosses 1.5C. It is predicted to do so around 2030, earlier than previously estimated.Environmental activists praised the decision to hold COP30 near the rainforest."We are actually bringing climate negotiators and climate leaders to the heart of the forest to experience firsthand what it is to live here, remembering that the Amazon is at tipping point and that the population here are suffering," Greenpeace Brazil's executive director, Carolina Pasquali, told Reuters.(Reporting by William James, Leonardo Benassato and Simon Jessop in Belem, Brazil; Writing by Katy Daigle; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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