COP30 hit peak tension today. Negotiators dragged themselves out of another midnight session as Brazil kept pushing its “let’s finish early” fantasy. Most delegates responded with the diplomatic equivalent of a shrug. Fossil fuels remain the ghost rattling every room, and with the US absent, the usual balance of power has warped — the EU is stretched, China and India walk taller, and developing countries are far bolder.
Indigenous activists dominated the day’s mood. A dawn blockade, a Blue Zone breach, UN guards scrambling behind tables — and slogans that sliced through the diplomatic fog: “Our land is not for sale,” “We can’t eat money.” Their frustration is impossible to ignore, especially as “Aldeia COP” swells into a vibrant counter-summit of chants, ceremony, and sharp critique.
Belém’s fringe forums kept up the pressure: land grabbing, murdered environmental defenders, carbon scams — the gritty truths you won’t hear in plenary. A People’s Tribunal on Ecocide staged its own trials, drawing curious negotiators who probably hoped not to be recognised.
Inside the official venue, taboo topics are thriving in the so-called Action Agenda. Colombia is rallying a shadow coalition for the phaseout of fossil fuels, while petro-states are sharpening their vetoes. Brazil floated a U.N. climate compliance council — radical in COP terms, common sense in the real world.
And, naturally, Brazil’s meme machine stayed undefeated. #CoxinhaGate over pricey snacks, the viral “Parade of the Cloth Critters,” and that glorious vampetaço after Germany’s chancellor insulted Belém — all proof that local humour cuts sharper than any communiqué.
Belém’s message today was unmistakable: the Amazon won’t play backdrop. Not to diplomacy, not to delay, and definitely not to anyone’s condescending hot take.
