The colours, voices and strength of the people occupied the city of Belém during the two weeks of COP30, in the Brazilian state of Pará. While the climate negotiations ended without presenting a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels and global deforestation, frustrating environmentalists and civil society organizations, the “outside COP” made history.
On the eve of COP30, Greenpeace projected a message to delegates at the UN Climate Summit in Belem.
The occupation of Belém’s streets and waters leaves a legacy for the next conferences: the guarantee of social participation as a determining factor for concrete progress in defending the planet and the climate.
The People’s Summit, held at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), brought together thousands of people and representatives of social movements. Over the course of a week, panels and discussions on the climate crisis were held, highlighting the importance of financial support for projects and communities that keep the forest standing and of tackling inequality as a path to mitigating the consequences of the climate crisis.
At the end of the first week of COP30, Greenpeace joined thousands of people at the Global Climate March in Belém. Greenpeace carried messages such as “Respect the Amazon” and “Make Polluters Pay.” The Global Climate March was organized by civil society organizations and Indigenous Peoples’ groups from several parts of the world.
The Rainbow Warrior III, Greenpeace’s ship, also joined this wave. The boat remained docked very close to the Summit, during the two weeks of COP30.
Greenpeace brought together women who defend the Amazon and the environment in a safe and inspiring space to strengthen connections, share experiences, and set the agenda for women in the fight for the protection of territories, waters, and the forest. A light, powerful, and cultural moment that reinforces the importance of women on the front lines of defending life.
The ship hosted events and exchanges with Indigenous leaders, youth movements, and climate activists as well as opened its doors so the people of Belém could learn more about our activism and about the global campaign “Respect the Amazon”, which has already mobilised more than half a million people around the world.
Almost 4,000 people visited the iconic Greenpeace ship, Rainbow Warrior, on the first weekend of Open Boat activities in Belém, host city of COP30. Docked at the Federal University of Pará, the vessel had public visitations on November 8th and 9th, sharing our commitment to a greener and fairer world for all forms of life.
The Rainbow Warrior also took part in the barqueata organised by the People’s Summit, in which more than 200 boats occupied the Guamá River with the motto “From the Amazon to the world: end inequality and environmental racism. Climate justice now!”
The iconic Greenpeace ship joins over 200 vessels in Belém, in a symbolic act to open the People’s Climate Summit at COP 30. Different social movements joined the action, entitled “From the Amazon to the World: End Inequality and Environmental Racism, Climate Justice Now!”, including indigenous movements representatives. The goal is to pressure world leaders for climate justice for all.
Similarly, the Global Climate March brought more than 40,000 people to the streets of the capital of Pará. Both moments registered the strength of the unity of the peoples and showed how popular mobilization can put pressure on the negotiations.
At the end of the first week of COP30, Greenpeace joined thousands of people at the Global Climate March in Belém. Greenpeace carried messages such as “Respect the Amazon” and “Make Polluters Pay.” The Global Climate March was organized by civil society organizations and Indigenous Peoples’ groups from several parts of the world.
This was also the Climate Conference with the largest Indigenous presence ever recorded. Thousands of Indigenous people and leaders brought to governments, in different spaces and circumstances, the demarcation of territories as the main demand to contain the climate crisis.
At the end of the first week of COP30, Greenpeace joined thousands of people at the Global Climate March in Belém. Greenpeace carried messages such as “Respect the Amazon” and “Make Polluters Pay.” The Global Climate March was organized by civil society organizations and Indigenous Peoples’ groups from several parts of the world.
In the second week of COP30, the Brazilian government announced progress in the process of demarcating 20 Indigenous Lands. Four were ratified, ten declared and six had their boundaries established, representing millions of hectares protected. A victory that reflects years of mobilization by Indigenous peoples and reinforces the demand made during the Indigenous March at the COP: “We Are the Answer – demarcating lands protects forests and confronts the climate crisis”.
At the end of the first week of COP30, Greenpeace joined thousands of people at the Global Climate March in Belém. Greenpeace carried messages such as “Respect the Amazon” and “Make Polluters Pay.” The Global Climate March was organized by civil society organizations and Indigenous Peoples’ groups from several parts of the world.
This was, without any doubt, the People’s COP. And this is essential for any progress in the climate agenda. After all, there is no possible climate debate without including those who truly know how to protect forests and the climate.
The iconic Greenpeace ship joins over 200 vessels in Belém, in a symbolic act to open the People’s Climate Summit at COP 30. Different social movements joined the action, entitled “From the Amazon to the World: End Inequality and Environmental Racism, Climate Justice Now!”, including Indigenous movements representatives. The goal is to pressure world leaders for climate justice for all.
And this is precisely why the mobilisation that made Belém even more colourful during the global negotiations remains firm, nurturing the possibilities created by COP30 so they can sprout, take root and blossom into the changes and actions we need.
Organized by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), the march brought together Indigenous people and activists in the streets of Belém, the host city of COP30. Carrying the message “We Are the Answer,” the demonstration marked “Indigenous Peoples’ Day at COP30,” promoting climate debate and the defense of the rights and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The 30th annual UN climate talks have ended, with a last minute grasp at forest action and fumble on a fossil fuel phaseout.
The final agreement
The first week of the climate talks in the Amazon showed cautious optimism with proposed plans of forward motion on a fossil fuel phase out and forest protection.
At the halfway point, civil society turned out with Indigenous Peoples and allies to march in the streets of Belém, demanding change and calling on their governments to step up climate ambition during the final week of negotiations.
Organized by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), the march brought together Indigenous people and activists in the streets of Belém, the host city of COP30. Carrying the message “We Are the Answer,” the demonstration marked “Indigenous Peoples’ Day at COP30,” promoting climate debate and the defense of the rights and territories of Indigenous peoples.
But the passion people showed on the streets did not translate into courage in the hallways of the negotiations. The first COP in the Amazon rainforest was long awaited as a turning point, to deliver an action plan to end forest destruction by 2030 and a Global Response Plan to address the 1.5°C ambition gap. But, despite an objection raised during the final plenary by Colombia and other Latin American countries over a lack of progress in climate mitigation, the final agreement produced neither result and did little to advance climate finance overall or push developed countries to commit public funding for the years ahead.
Greenpeace joined other NGOs and allies to participate in a silent banner drop in the Blue Zone, with a banner reading 1.5 Under Threat, Time to Act!
What started with strong hope and promise ended without any actionable roadmaps to end forest destruction and the burning of fossil fuels. Geopolitical divisions and the interests of billionaires, climate polluters and nature destroyers again spoke louder than the thousands of people calling for action in the streets of Belém.
Resist. Rise. Renew.
At the end of COP30, Greenpeace sends a message from the front of the COP30 venue with a banner reading “Resist – Rise – Renew”.
After three years in a row of having to navigate tight guidelines for peaceful protest and action at COPs, people power in Belém met the moment. From creative art performances to marches, civil society relentlessly made its presence felt both inside and outside of the COP venue.
In the 10th anniversary year of the Paris Agreement, Greenpeace constructed an Eiffel Tower replica made up of cardboard boxes with the sign ‘Fragile. Handle With Care’ to symbolise how the 1.5°C limit agreed in Paris is under threat.
Brazilian artivist Mundano delivered, in partnership with Greenpeace a striking art installation to demand world leaders take bold action for forests at COP30. Mundano wrote the message “COP30: Rise for Forests” with transparent ink, and used ashes taken from forest fires in the Amazon to reveal the text.
After a dramatic pull and tug, COP31 next year will be in Turkey in the coastal city of Antalya, and share the presidency with Australia.
COP30 set a high bar, only to disappoint in the end, but the weak outcome does not do justice to the full story of what happened in Belém: the biggest Indigenous participation at a climate COP and the powerful protests organised by civil society, demanding action for people and planet that will persist until climate justice is delivered.
At the end of the first week of COP30, Greenpeace joined thousands of people at the Global Climate March in Belém. Greenpeace carried messages like “Respect the Amazon” and “Make Polluters Pay”. The Global Climate March was organised by civil society organisations and Indigenous Peoples groups from several parts of the world.
On the surface, it looked like progress: a new chapter for innovation in East Asia. But behind that moment was an environmental cost the world isn’t paying enough attention to.
In the new SystemShift podcast episode, Greenpeace East Asia looks at the real-world impacts behind NVIDIA’s record-breaking valuation, and asks the question: who is paying the price for the AI boom?
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang shares soju and a bonding toast with Lee Jae‑yong (Samsung Electronics) and Chung Eui‑sun (Hyundai Motor Group) in Seoul, October 2025. Used courtesy of CNBC (2025).
For years, SK Hynix and Samsung in Korea and TSMC in Taiwan have powered NVIDIA’s rise. Together they have built the backbone of the global AI industry, producing the chips that fuel data centers and supercomputers everywhere. These companies have turned East Asia into the world’s electronics workshop, efficient, ambitious, and unstoppable.
But this success hides an uncomfortable truth. It is coming at a high environmental cost.
As the demand for AI chips grows, so does its appetite for electricity. According to Greenpeace East Asia’s 2024 report Chipping Point, the semiconductor industry could soon consume a massive share of local power: up to 20% of Taiwan’s total electricity and 30–40% of South Korea’s industrial use by 2030 . Yet fossil fuels still make up more than 50% in both places.
To meet this rising demand, governments are turning back to fossil fuels and even nuclear power.
Greenpeace East Asia and 450 citizen plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), seeking to revoke the government’s April approval of six LNG power plants in the Yongin Semiconductor National Industrial Complex. Outside the administrative courthouse, activists staged a symbolic performance around a model of an LNG power plant holding up a banner “No more fossil gas, Go renewables”
The dangers of fossil fuels expansion are not abstract. To catch up with the surging electricity demands from the AI industry, Taiwan is proposing an expansion of several gas power plants. However, this has raised increasing public health concerns. September 2025, a gas leak explosion at Hsingda Power Plant in the city of Kaohsiung during its ignition testing, sparked frustration and concern among local residents. Greenpeace Taiwan’s research also found that generally people living near power plants and petrochemical production facilities are in high-risk zones for air pollution exposure. They identified 191 facilities across 13 counties and cities in Taiwan, and claimed high-risk zones cover almost 40 percent of the population, including 1.15 million children and 1.59 million elderly residents.
People living on the front lines of AI industry development are paying the price for the world’s digital transformation.
The silence of power
Meanwhile, NVIDIA, now the world’s first 5 trillion dollar company, has yet to set a target to cut emissions from its suppliers. According to Greenpeace East Asia, more than 80% of its total carbon footprint comes from its supply chain, much of it based in East Asia. Yet there is still no clear commitment or action to help suppliers transition to renewable energy or improve local conditions, according to Greenpeace East Asia’s latest ranking.
This silence speaks volumes. It tells us that the “partners” in Asia are being treated not as equals in progress, but as stepping stones toward global AI dominance.
Greenpeace campaigners across the region are seeing the human side of this injustice. They see communities living near new power plants, children facing potential exposure to polluted air, and families fighting for their right to clean energy. These stories have not been heard enough.
You can listen to the latest episode of our System Shift podcast, where we talk about what happens when AI’s progress collides with sustainability, and how we can build a digital future that does not destroy the real one.
True innovation is not measured by speed or market value. It is measured by care, for people, for the planet, and for the generations to come.
Join us for Clean AI, Clean Future by signing the petition below.
Johannesburg, South Africa – The G20 Summit wrapped up with South Africa showing welcome leadership as host, but no progress on commitments to tax the super-rich or for G20 countries to advance on their support of the UN Tax Convention negotiations for fairer global tax rules.
Fred Njehu, Fair Share Global Political Lead, Greenpeace Africa, said: “It is indefensible that even after the G20 report had clearly spelt out that inequality is on a sharp rise, G20 leaders are not taking action to correct it. Billionaires are getting richer while billions, especially in Africa and the global majority, are left behind as their standard of living declines and public systems crumble amidst the escalating climate crisis.”
G20 leaders must put wealth tax discussions back on the table and show real commitment to global tax justice. They need to engage constructively in the UN Tax Convention to deliver a truly historic treaty, one that finally rebalances taxing rights and ensures the super-rich and major polluters pay their fair share for the damage they cause.”
As the United States prepares to assume the G20 presidency in 2026, it is imperative that global leaders demonstrate leadership and ambition in addressing inequality and ensuring that the wealthiest pay their fair share.[1]
ENDS
Notes:
[1] The G20 report by economist Joseph Stiglitz shows that between 2000 and 2024 the world’s wealthiest 1% captured 41% of all new wealth, while just 1% went to the 50% of humanity at the other end of the scale.
Contacts:
Ferdinand Omondi, Communications and Storytelling Manager, Greenpeace Africa, +254 722 505 233, fomondi@greenpeace.org
Respect the Amazon
Polluters Pay Pact
Clean AI, Clean Future