{"id":82343,"date":"2025-12-10T19:40:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T22:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82343"},"modified":"2025-12-23T17:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T20:37:21","slug":"youth-at-the-center-of-climate-decisions-during-cop30-childrens-summit-highlights-its-children-who-feel-it-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82343","title":{"rendered":"Youth at the Center of Climate Decisions: During COP30, Children\u2019s Summit Highlights \u2018It\u2019s Children Who Feel It Most!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Children<\/a>
Youth from Chal\u00e9 da Paz (Peace Chalet), in Terra Firme, Bel\u00e9m, participated in the Children\u2019s Summit, part of the People\u2019s Summit, the civil society-led event running in parallel to COP30. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Youth are increasingly present at United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP<\/a>s), whether at the official event, where governmental climate negotiations take place, or in parallel spaces organized by civil society, which at COP30 in Brazil last month was the People\u2019s Summit<\/a> at the Federal University of Par\u00e1 (UFPA). And they are not there as mere spectators: children and teens think and propose ways to fight climate change.<\/p>\n

This year, the People\u2019s Summit’s Children\u2019s Summit<\/a> brought together around 600 youth. Children led public discussions on issues they face related to climate change, socio-environmental justice<\/a> and well-being, drawing on their perspectives and communities. They presented the resulting Children\u2019s Letter<\/a> at the People’s Summit’s closing event, on November 16, to national Brazilian officials.<\/p>\n

The following day, November 17, the official COP30 event, organized by the Brazilian government and the United Nations (UN<\/a>), also dedicated its program to listening to children and youth<\/a>\u00a0from around the world. Held in the Blue Zone<\/a>, where official debates negotiations took place between government representatives, young people were able to influence climate negotiations directly with their own ideas and proposals.<\/p>\n

Those Most Affected by the Crisis Must Be Seen and Heard<\/h3>\n

The report Early Childhood at the Center of the Climate Crisis<\/em><\/a> highlights that children are the group most affected by the climate crisis<\/a>. According to the document, children born from 2020 onwards will face 6.8 times more heat waves<\/a> than those born in 1960. In Brazil, 40 million children and adolescents already face at least one type of climate risk, and 1.1 million live with water scarcity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Child<\/a>
Child of the Mura people holds a sign reading \u201cMy future depends on you! Demarcation now!\u201d during the opening boat parade of the People\u2019s Summit. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In general, children are not historically seen as a social group with their own place in society. Instead, childhood is seen as a period of life to be lived up until reaching adulthood, when children achieve full citizenship. As a result, children end up being treated as spectators of processes that occur in the world, which places them in a position of non-decision, that is, of not being understood as subjects of rights, capable of deciding on the factors that affect their own lives.<\/p>\n

In his article Childhood as a Structural Form<\/em><\/a>, Jens Qvortrup notes that the demand for a voice emerged because, traditionally, children were considered to be in a \u201cpreparatory\u201d phase for adulthood. The author highlights that \u201ca child is not an adult integrated into society. This does not seem to be a necessary precondition, however, for being complete as an individual.\u201d In other words, despite not being an adult, a child is an individual, a rights holder, who can and should participate in discussions about society.<\/p>\n

In many favelas and peripheral areas, children and youth live in surroundings that are disadvantaged in terms of nature, with little tree cover and few green spaces, as well as high temperatures and risks associated with extreme weather events such as floods and landslides. It is only fair that those affected by these issues should also be able to express how they are affected and how they hope these impacts can be addressed or mitigated.<\/p>\n

Childhood in Terra Firme, a Favela in Bel\u00e9m<\/h3>\n

Every child and teenager relates to their territory and has perceptions about the environmental issues that surround them. RioOnWatch<\/em> interviewed two children living in Terra Firme, a favela in Bel\u00e9m, who participated in the Children\u2019s Summit.<\/p>\n

In total, ten children and teenagers assisted by the Peace Chalet<\/a>\u2014a space for connection, experiences, culture and art in Terra Firme\u2014participated in the Children\u2019s Summit. In addition to participating in cultural events, panels and other activities, they came together to express their views on decisions that affect their future. The result was the Children\u2019s Letter<\/a> at the 2025 People\u2019s Summit, delivered to Brazilian government ministers and the COP30 presidency.<\/p>\n

Watch<\/a> the Reading of the Children\u2019s Letter at the Closing of the People\u2019s Summit:<\/h3>\n