Climate Protesters Demand Action at COP30 Summit

Thousands of climate protesters marched through Belém, Brazil on Saturday to demand urgent action on climate change. The demonstration was peaceful but loud, with people singing, playing music, and carrying banners.

Belém is hosting COP30, an important climate summit where world leaders discuss how to protect the planet. The protesters wanted to send a strong message to the negotiators inside.

The weather was extremely hot during the march. Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius, and the high humidity made it feel like 35 degrees. Despite the heat, protesters stayed determined.

The march included Indigenous people wearing traditional face paint and feathered headdresses, young activists, and civil society groups. This was the first major climate protest in four years. The previous three summits were held in Egypt, Dubai, and Azerbaijan, where demonstrations are not easily allowed.

Brazil's environment minister, Marina Silva, joined the protesters. Indigenous activist Raquel Wapichana travelled nine hours from Roraima to attend. She said her people face constant threats from mining, big agriculture, and land invasions.

The protesters organized creative displays. Eighty people carried a huge 30-metre snake sculpture through the streets. The cobra is sacred to Amazon Indigenous peoples, and in Portuguese, "cobra" also means "pay up!" They were demanding more climate finance.

Another group staged a "funeral for fossil fuels" with people dressed in black carrying three large coffins marked "coal," "oil," and "gas."

Inside the summit, negotiators have reached the halfway point of the two-week conference. They are discussing difficult issues including climate finance, reducing fossil fuel use, and helping countries most affected by climate change.

The protesters want real action, not just promises from world leaders.