The climate crisis is one of the biggest threats to life on the planet, and indigenous territories are key players in tackling this challenge. In the Amazon, these lands hold about 340 million tons of CO₂, helping to maintain the water cycle and climate balance both locally and globally.
That's why world leaders and Amazon governments need to understand that protecting indigenous lands — including those of Isolated Indigenous Peoples and Newly Contacted People — is essential to reducing the impacts of the climate crisis and ensuring we can adapt to it.
It's urgent that these areas be protected, kept free from mining, monocultures, and other activities that destroy the environment. Moreover, the rights of indigenous peoples, recognized by the UN, must be respected. They also need to be involved in climate decisions and receive direct financial support to take care of their lands.
This is a call for governments to create a real plan to end the use of fossil fuels, protect indigenous defenders, and value the knowledge these peoples have.
The future of the Amazon and the planet depends on these decisions at COP30 and other global spaces. That's why Global Citizen has teamed up with COIAB to demand real and urgent actions from Amazonian authorities before COP30.