SEO Riders:
– Pressed for inclusion of Article 9.1 climate finance, just transition and Indigenous rights on the agenda.
– Protesters raise banners inside plenary: “No more fossil fuels” and “Our future is not up for sale.”
– Delegates highlight visa denials, delayed openings, and calls to decolonize negotiations.
Civil society, grassroots, and Indigenous organizations converged during the Bonn climate talks (SB62) to pressure negotiators into adopting a sharply more ambitious track for COP30 in Brazil. Demonstrators disrupted proceedings with banners reading “No more fossil fuels” and “Climate leadership is not made of oil,” while Indigenous activists staged a spiritual ceremony to amplify the message. Major agenda items were hotly contested: delays in opening sessions, visa denials for Southern delegates, and opposition from developed countries over crucial issues like Article 9.1 climate finance and trade measures fueled resentment and a sense of inequity.
At the sidelines, calls for just transition, Indigenous inclusion, and human-rights-based governance gained momentum. A “Just Transition Rising” rally urged financial recognition for workers, youth, and women, while Indigenous leaders demanded seats at decision-making tables. Legal experts from CIEL warned that provisions under Article 6 must include binding safeguards, grievance mechanisms, and meaningful public participation—critically for Indigenous communities. Groups also demanded strengthened climate finance provisions, including standing negotiations on Article 9.1—a demand long resisted by some developed nations. As one activist noted, “We cannot just be begging to be in the space… we bear the brunt of the climate crisis.”
