Faith Communities Take a Stand for Climate Justice at COP30
Dr Paulo Ueti, USPG and Anglican Alliance, at TAPIRI with The Most Revd Marinez Bassotto, Primate of Brazil and Bishop of Amazônia (third from left)
As COP30 opens in Belém, Brazil, from 10-21 November, the world’s attention turns to the Amazon at a moment when climate decisions have never mattered more.
Belém is a unique choice as the city stands at the gateway to the Amazon – a vast rainforest home to communities whose cultures and survival are tied to the forest. Hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference here brings global negotiations into direct contact with the realities of deforestation, mining, fires and social injustice. For the Diocese of Amazônia and its ecumenical partners, it also provides a rare opportunity to give frontline voices a stronger platform in the conversations that shape their future.
“Amazonia is responsible for around 20% of planet’s oxygen … and it is producing less and less with each passing year due to mining, illegal logging, and fires.”
It is fundamental to work together. Unity and ecumenism are among the most impactful responses the Church and faith communities can offer.
said The Most Revd Marinez Bassotto, Primate of Brazil and Bishop of Amazônia.
What does this look like?
Tapiri, an Indigenous Tupi word meaning “a hut for walkers,” is the name of an ecumenical gathering hosted in the grounds of Santa Maria Anglican Cathedral. The gathering includes panel talks, exhibitions and protests, and unites faith communities, Indigenous leaders and grassroots movements in shared reflection and action. Read the full Tapiri programme and watch the TAPIRI livestream here (with English translation).
At USPG, we stand for a fairer, more inclusive response to the climate emergency. We are proud to support Tapiri, represented by Dr Paulo Ueti, Theological Advisor and Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Among those diverse voices is Fei Tevi, representing the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. In his address at Tapiri, he called the Amazon and Pacific Ocean the “two lungs of our Earth”, highlighting their role in producing oxygen and capturing carbon. He stressed the need to work with Indigenous peoples, who “know best” how to protect these ecosystems. Watch and hear more in Fei Tevi’s full address: https://youtu.be/824K3ym_jos?si=FR9XaUy7mWYk8wAi
Alongside panels and discussions, Indigenous communities are bringing spectacle and wonder to COP30 with a flotilla of over 200 boats on Guajará Bay, music and dancing. The river protest celebrated unity, highlighted threats to forests and waterways, and amplified frontline voices in a powerful, visual statement for climate justice.
But why does all this matter?
For Anglicans, caring for the environment is one of the Five Marks of Mission. For all Christians, it’s a call from God to us. We are part of creation, we are connected to all aspects of it, and we need to play our part in looking after it.
concluded Archbishop Marinez.
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