{"id":68412,"date":"2021-12-01T12:25:53","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T15:25:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=68412"},"modified":"2021-12-14T13:35:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T16:35:59","slug":"cop26-seen-from-over-here-the-participation-of-peripheral-leaders-and-groups-in-the-un-climate-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=68412","title":{"rendered":"COP26 Seen from Here: The Participation of Brazilian Favela and Peripheral Groups at the UN Climate Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"This is our latest article in<\/em>\u00a0a\u00a0series<\/a>\u00a0created in partnership with the\u00a0Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies<\/a>\u00a0at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the\u00a0Digital Brazil Project<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/em>climate impacts and affirmative action in the favelas for RioOnWatch.<\/em><\/p>\n

The 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26)<\/a> was held in Glasgow, Scotland<\/a> from November 1 to November 12, hosting world leaders and private sector and civil society representatives. COP26 was initially scheduled for 2020, but due to the Covid-19<\/a> pandemic was rescheduled for this year.<\/p>\n

Grassroots leaders from Brazil\u2019s urban peripheries also participated in the conference with the aim of denouncing environmental racism<\/a> and demanding climate justice. Among those present were members of Brazil’s Black Coalition for Rights<\/a>, PerifaConnection<\/a>, Favela of Peace Institute<\/a>, Defenders of the Planet<\/a>, and EcoCiclo<\/a>, as well as favela youth who act as ambassadors<\/a> for the United Nations (UN).<\/p>\n

The presence of these figures<\/a> contrasts with the profile that typically dominates such gatherings. The involvement of peripheral organizations puts those most affected<\/a> by environmental crises at the center of the debate.<\/p>\n

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Brazilian Government Vs. Favela Activists<\/h3>\n

Shortly before COP26, alarming data were released out of Brazil. According to the Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions System<\/a> (SEEG, in Portuguese), the country\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions grew 9.5%<\/a> in 2020, going in the opposite direction to the rest of the world, which saw an average global reduction of 7% in emissions over this period.<\/p>\n

Represented by the Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite, the Brazilian delegation in Glasgow attempted to project the image that there is a \u201cmistaken<\/a>\u201d view of the country’s efforts to fight climate change. With this aim, a luxurious pavilion was built for the event, as reported by activist Kamila Camilo on news site ECOA UOL<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Criticism with the way the Brazilian government has been carrying out environmental policies led President Jair Bolsonaro to opt out<\/a> of the conference. During the event, Brazil announced an adjustment in its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 43% to 50% by 2030. However, the proposal does not represent progress<\/a> in relation to targets previously established by the country.<\/p>\n

By modifying the base year from which the percentage is calculated, the Brazilian government played with numbers to present targets which appeared more ambitious but which, in reality, maintained targets<\/a> established six years ago. In December of last year, when the Paris Agreement<\/a> (2015) was revised, the presented proposal\u2014<\/strong>a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030\u2014<\/strong>was worse still, representing a step backwards in relation to the commitments<\/a> made by the country in 2015.<\/p>\n

The targets presented in December<\/a> were branded \u201ccreative climatic accounting<\/a>.\u201d Because of this, a group of young people filed a civil suit with a federal court in S\u00e3o Paulo against former Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, in April of this year. Marcelo Rocha, Daniel Augusto Holanda, Thalita Silva e Silva, Paloma Costa, Paulo Ricardo Brito Santos and Walelasoetxeige Suru\u00ed, who were behind the suit, are environmental activists and members of two organizations which were founded and are led by young people: Engajamundo<\/a> and Fridays for Future<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Brazilian government\u2019s participation at COP26 also attracted criticism due to the stance taken by the Minister of the Environment. In his speech at the conference, Joaquim Leite said that<\/a> \u201cwhere there is a lot of forest, there is also a lot of poverty.\u201d The Black Coalition for Rights released a statement<\/a> refuting this comment: \u201cFor us, a standing forest means living people. Where there are forests, there is life. Indigenous people, traditional communities and quilombolas <\/em>[communities descending from enslaved Africans who remain on ancestral lands], among many others, live in the forest. They are the true wealth of Brazil. They are the guardians of the forest.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the position of the government’s delegation, the parallel pavilion Brazil Climate Action Hub<\/a> consolidated itself as an important meeting space for those who are fighting for true change in climate policy. In a way, the pavilion gained something of an official status in representing the Brazil delegation, hosting governors<\/a>, photographer Sebasti\u00e3o Salgado<\/a>\u2019s Instituto Terra<\/a>, and promoting concrete proposals<\/a> for fighting deforestation and in defense of indigenous and quilombola <\/em>lands.<\/p>\n

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The conference was also marked by demonstrations organized by favela activists alongside other peripheral actors from around the world. On November 5, there was a protest organized<\/a> by young people from various parts of the globe. On Saturday (6), the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice<\/a> march took place.<\/p>\n

A resident of Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a> in Rio’s North Zone<\/a>, Raull Santiago<\/a> was at the conference representing PerifaConnection. He arrived in Glasgow a week before the event started. The idea was to build protests and discussions with other organizations present at the conference. \u201cActivists, groups, social movements, they occupy the COP26 to guarantee the future and discuss an agenda that is so important for the world and also for Brazil, which has the Amazon<\/a>, the Pantanal, these rich biomes. COP26 is the place to discuss the future starting now. And we are present, Perifa is present, the favela is present,\u201d he said in a video released on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Uma publica\u00e7\u00e3o compartilhada por Raull Santiago (@raullsantiago)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n