Imagine a future where Indigenous voices lead the world’s biggest climate talks. Where people who have cared for our planet for generations shape the solutions to the climate crisis.
Right now at COP29, fossil fuel lobbyists vastly outnumber Indigenous voices. They work to delay climate action and push hard for policies that protect polluters over people. But a new alliance of Indigenous voices is rising as a chance to change the balance of power.
Earlier this week at COP29, Indigenous leaders from Brazil, Australia, and the Pacific joined forces to demand shared leadership of future climate talks – COP30 in Brazil next year, and COP31 in Australia in 2026. The so called ‘Indigenous Troika‘ (as opposed to the official Troika, composed by COP28, COP29 and COP30 host countries — the UAE, Azerbaijan and Brazil) is an innovative initiative to ensure Indigenous voices are prominent in climate negotiations, leading a new phase in the global climate debate with greater inclusion of indigenous voices in climate decisions.
Photo credit: Lohana Chaves / Funai
This announcement came right before another important one: the Brazilian indigenous movement launched a campaign called “The Answer Is Us”, demanding the official co-presidency of next year’s important UN climate conference, COP30. They are urging their government to give them a seat at the table.
We, the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, in the face of the gravity of the climate crisis, know that the time to act is now. We know who is setting the planet on fire and we feel the devastating impacts in our territories and our lives: severe drought, forced isolation, diseases, lack of food, invasions, conflicts, and deaths.
The climate crisis is also a crisis of leadership and values. We have never given up on defending life, and we will not get lost in empty discussions and sterile commitments. We have always been here: the answer is us!
COP30 will be held in the Brazilian Amazon, the home and territory of 2.7 million Indigenous peoples representing over 350 Indigenous nations. They know the way forward: real climate action must be rooted in justice.
The campaign was launched with a peaceful demonstration in Rio de Janeiro during the weekend, just ahead of the G20 meeting which starts in the city today. Decisions taken at G20 in Rio will highly impact the outcomes of COP29 in Baku, and the leaders of the world’s wealthiest and most polluting nations — China, the United States, India, the European Union, Russia, and Japan — cannot keep up with their inaction in addressing the climate crisis. They need to commit enough resources to a fair, inclusive and accessible transition to renewable energy now.
The Brazilian Indigenous movement also demands that the demarcation of Indigenous lands be recognized as climate policy and effective solution to the climate crisis, and they assert their right to have an active, leading role in global decisions affecting the planet’s future.
Together, we can help the voices of Indigenous Peoples be heard more loudly around the world. Brazil’s Indigenous leaders make a powerful case: “The answer is us”. Supporting them shows the world which side we’re on – the side of climate justice, and a safe future for all.
