Urgent Call for Reparations at COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil
Hundreds of environmental and human rights organizations are urging the United Nations to prioritize reparations for colonialism and slavery during the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil. The conference is scheduled to take place from November 10 to 21 in Maloca, deep in the Amazon rainforest, as these groups express concerns over historical injustices affecting the Global South, reports 24brussels.
In a letter released on September 27, 2025, notable organizations such as Brazil’s Instituto Luiz Gama and the Caribbean Pan African Network (CPAN) emphasized the necessity of “centering the voices of Africans, people of African descent, and Indigenous Peoples” in the discussions. They stressed the need for recognition of the disproportionate impact of climate change on those communities who contributed least to the crisis.
The letter stated, “We call for justice for the countries and people of the world who have historically contributed the least to climate change, but who are often among the hardest hit by it.” It highlighted Brazil’s significant Afro-descendant population and its large Indigenous community, advocating for a strong connection between climate justice and reparations.
The document also referenced recent rulings from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which have underscored the heightened climate vulnerabilities affecting Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations. The ICJ has declared that industrialized nations bear a legal obligation to take the lead in climate action, given their historical role in global emissions.
Despite commitments made in the 2015 Paris Agreement, wealthier countries are lagging in meeting the estimated $1.3 trillion required annually for climate adaptation and recovery efforts in developing nations. At COP29 in Azerbaijan, delegates increased the target for the Loss and Damage Fund to $300 billion, although it still fell short by $200 billion of the demands made by 134 developing nations.
As climate-related hardships escalate, examples include ongoing flooding in Pakistan—resulting from the catastrophic events of 2022—which caused damages amounting to $14.8 billion and pushed nine million people into poverty. Additionally, research has indicated that climate change is linked to rising food prices, with significant impacts observed on Brazilian coffee and Ghanaian cocoa.
Signatories of the call for reparations include the Global Afro-descendant Climate Collaboration for Climate Justice, Uganda’s youth-led Resilient 40, and the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago. The appeal has garnered support from Colombia’s environment minister, who plans to present it to the Brazilian government and the UN next week.
Globally, calls for reparations related to colonial exploitation and slavery are gaining momentum, although they often encounter pushback from nations and institutions reluctant to acknowledge historical accountability. Anielle Franco, Brazil’s minister of racial equality, articulated last year that reparations aim to “build a more dignified future” following centuries of unrecognized injustices.