Indigenous voices call for action as Cop30 gets under way


Nilanjana Gupta
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The UN’s climate talks opened on Monday in Brazil’s Amazon basin with urgent appeals to keep fighting climate change, despite the US stepping back.

About 50,000 delegates are in Belem for the two-week Cop30 summit, battling the tropical heat and the challenge of keeping global co-operation on track.

Among some of the powerful voices at the summit are those of Indigenous leaders, who are demanding a greater role in decisions about how their lands are managed as climate change intensifies and industries such as mining, logging and oil drilling expand deeper into forests.

A day before the summit began, a boat carrying dozens of Indigenous leaders arrived in Belem to call for recognition and protection of their territories.

Djalma Ramalho Goncalves, from Jequitinhonha Valley in Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil, said he is at Cop30 to press for the demarcation of Indigenous land.

“Demarcating Indigenous territory means demarcating a positive future for everyone, not just for Indigenous people,” he said.

“Protecting Indigenous rights is protecting the future because the demarcated territory – it is life, it is education. It is preserving biodiversity. It is preserving knowledge and seeking a future for the young."

Djalma Ramalho Goncalves from Brazil's Indigenous community attends Cop30. Nilanjana Gupta / The National
Djalma Ramalho Goncalves from Brazil's Indigenous community attends Cop30. Nilanjana Gupta / The National

“Society already knows how forests managed by Indigenous people have seven times lower deforestation rates, but we are still not thinking of demarcation as an urgent climate adaptation issue. So for me, it’s important to shift this kind of thought.”

Mr Goncalves said the lithium mining boom in his region is putting immense pressure on local communities.

“My people have been fighting for 20 years trying to demarcate our territory. Now we are facing the threat of lithium mining. My region has 85 per cent of all the lithium in Brazil. So when you hear about lithium in Brazil, you are hearing about my territory," he said.

“They come to our land, take the lithium and leave us with the trash. And that’s the reason why demarcating Indigenous territory is so important."

Mr Goncalves said that his goal at Cop30 is to make the wider public understand that the climate issue affects everyone.

“We are all into it. We are all responsible for it. If the government does not demarcate Indigenous territories, society should respond and say that’s important to us because it’s preserving biodiversity, which regulates carbon in the atmosphere.”

Joana Bento de Sousa, from Maranhao state in north-eastern Brazil, echoed the demand for more land and opportunities for young people.

“Our land is limited and houses many people. That’s why the young people don’t have any place to stay after getting married and they can’t have their own house. So they have to leave our territory," she said. "We want to have more land so that people can live together.”

Joana Bento de Sousa, left, and Regina Benta Silva Guajajara from Brazil's indigenous community at Cop30 in Belem. Nilanjana Gupta / The National
Joana Bento de Sousa, left, and Regina Benta Silva Guajajara from Brazil's indigenous community at Cop30 in Belem. Nilanjana Gupta / The National

From across the Pacific, Whaia of the Ngati Kahungunu Maori tribe in New Zealand joined Cop30 to amplify global Indigenous voices.

“My personal message here at Cop30 is to build ocean resilience and ocean advocacy, and also the protection of our saltwater and fresh waterways and all of our relatives who live near those waters,” she said.

“We’re also standing here with our family of the Amazon to support them, to find their pathways into protecting their land and to be safely doing that."

Shelly Kathleen Emia from New Zealand's Indigenous community. Nilanjana Gupta / The National
Shelly Kathleen Emia from New Zealand's Indigenous community. Nilanjana Gupta / The National

Ms Whaia warned against new environmental threats such as deep-sea mining.

“Some of the challenges we’re facing right now is deep-sea mining, and it’s one of the last untouched places of the Earth that we haven’t desecrated yet. And we’d like to keep it that way.”

As the summit unfolds, Indigenous leaders are ensuring that the fight to protect their territories, and the planet, remains central to global climate action.

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THE BIO

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Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

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Favorite movie: Braveheart

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A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.

Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.

One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.

It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."

Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.

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Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
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Sector: FinTech
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Updated: November 11, 2025, 2:53 AM