Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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November 19, 2025 Climate and environment
Participants at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) taking place in Belém, Brazil, have moved closer to agreeing on a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels. Ministers from Colombia, Germany, Kenya, the Marshall Islands, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, and several other countries expressed strong support for Brazil's proposal to raise this issue during the current round of climate negotiations.
The coalition called on delegations to strengthen language in the draft text on the transition away from fossil fuels. Their ultimate goal is to accelerate action and keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
"Fossil fuels are destroying dreams," youth activist Marcel Oliveira said at the conference, calling the move away from hydrocarbons "the most important step toward climate justice in this generation."
Protecting the future
Speaking to UN News, Marcele Oliveira stressed that children and young people must be at the centre of every discussion at COP30.
"We now have a ruling from the International Court of Justice that states' inaction on climate change constitutes an environmental crime. We need to systematically pressure countries to adopt more ambitious climate action," she said. "We must abandon fossil fuels, invest in forest protection, and support those who protect them. Recognizing the role of collective action by young people at the local level is crucial."
© RKIK/J. Jumares
Youth activist Marcel Oliveira.
The Decisive Battle
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres He met with youth delegates in Belém. During the discussion, he acknowledged that past generations failed to contain the climate crisis—the latest scientific forecasts confirm that global temperatures will exceed the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold. The Secretary-General called on young people to form a united front in the "decisive battle" to make the transition beyond the established threshold as short as possible.
Guterres emphasized that the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is vital and requires confronting powerful lobby groups that "put profits above the well-being of the international community and the planet." In this regard, he added, the pressure from young people is difficult to overestimate.
"We just want to be kids!"
Sixteen-year-old João Victor da Silva from Brazil, at a meeting with the Secretary-General, said that today's young people did not intend to become activists; they simply wanted to remain ordinary children and teenagers, but, in his words, "adults, unfortunately, do not make the right decisions."
Niguel Maduro of Aruba said the beaches on his island where he once learned to swim are gradually disappearing. Negotiations, he warned, are progressing too slowly for his country, which is facing rising temperatures and sea levels.
The Secretary-General agreed that greater participation by young people—especially indigenous youth—will lead to better results. He supported calls for more direct, less bureaucratic funding for indigenous peoples and promised to create the conditions to make this possible.
© RKIK/K. Worth
Protests are a hallmark of the KS-30
Indigenous leader Thai Surui called the meeting with youth "one of the most encouraging moments of COP30." However, she warned that the Amazon is dangerously close to a "point of no return" that could lead to desertification of the rainforest.
"Protests are a hallmark of this conference," she said. "Some may not like them, but Brazil is a democratic country. Protests will help political leaders ultimately make pro-life decisions."
The activist noted that corporate lobbying is currently stronger than the pressure of all delegations combined, and certainly more powerful than the voices of indigenous peoples. Nevertheless, she sees growing recognition of the role of indigenous communities as stewards of nature.
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