Glasgow, UK – Undermining global hopes for meaningful action, the 26th annual Conference of Parties (COP26) climate summit in Glasgow concluded over the weekend without successfully addressing key drivers of the climate crisis, among them the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the role of fossil fuels. Countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030 and announced $1.7 billion in support to Indigenous forest defenders, without input from Indigenous communities. The commitments are non-binding and fall short of the demands of Indigenous and frontline communities, as well as the urgency and ambition needed to address today’s climate crisis.
During the first week of COP, the Amazonia for Life: Protect 80% by 2025 coalition announced new data on the Amazon degradation and deforestation, which has reached 22%, signaling that the rainforest has reached an irreversible tipping point. Undeterred, Amazonian Indigenous peoples continue to mobilize, calling on governments to act immediately to implement measures to achieve 80% protection.