Indigenous communities push for real influence at amazon climate summit, not just photo opportunities

As world leaders gather in Brazil for COP30 climate negotiations this week, Indigenous communities are demanding meaningful participation in decisions that directly affect their lands and futures. Dubbed the “most Indigenous COP” ever, this year’s summit is the first held in the Amazon and comes as 2024 breaks temperature records, officially becoming the hottest year on record.

Brazil has promised unprecedented Indigenous inclusion, offering camping for 3,000 people and credentials for hundreds to enter official venues. However, Indigenous leaders remain skeptical about whether increased attendance will translate to real influence over climate policy. “We are not here for theater,” warns Ghazali Ohorella of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change, emphasizing that true success should be measured by what appears in final negotiated texts, not photo opportunities.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Indigenous territories in the Amazon contain nearly 60% of the forest’s carbon storage, with less than 1.5% of deforestation occurring on their protected lands in 2024. A recent study projects that Amazon deforestation and CO2 emissions would be 45% higher without Indigenous-managed lands. Despite this proven track record of environmental stewardship, Indigenous peoples remain locked out of formal negotiations as “nonstate actors” in the UN system.

In response, Indigenous organizations have crafted their first-ever Indigenous NDC (climate action plan), calling for direct access to climate finance, meaningful representation in negotiations, and recognition of land protection as official climate policy. As more than 370 million Indigenous people worldwide face the frontlines of climate change, COP30 represents a critical test of whether the international community will embrace Indigenous solutions or continue treating them as symbolic participants rather than essential partners.