On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is joined by Ojibwe elder, Great Grandmother Mary Lyons, who recaps what happened at the United Nations Climate Conference of Parties (COP 30) in Belém, Brazil last month. The gathering of world leaders and representatives of international organizations happens every year to address the climate crisis. This year, over 50,000 people from 193 nations gathered with at least 5,000 Indigenous participants, who Lyons says were intentionally left out of decision making conversations. 

Though the conference was marketed as the Indigenous people’s COP, Lyons says that it was difficult for Indigenous leaders to get access to the badges that would give them access to the conferences meetings and negotiations. There was also a large military presence that Lyons says was so different from past events. Lyons and others were trying to send the message that there is great danger to the planet, but “we were met with closed ears.”

There were some good outcomes of the COP30, like the land tenure commitment, Brazil’s recognition of ten Indigenous territories, and the tropical forest forever facility. These will be good outcomes if they are acted upon. 

They also discuss the protection of waters of the Earth, the wealth of decision makers, and the lack of leadership on the climate emergency from the US federal government. Lyons says that she considers all children of the world her grandchildren and is concerned with the future of the whole planet and population.

Great Grandmother Mary Lyons is an Ojibwe elder from Minnesota. She is also an author, humanitarian worker, wisdomkeeper, knowledgeholder, recovery and culture speaker, UN Elder Observer, and spiritual guide.

Featured image of one of the buildings at the COP 30 in Belém, Brazil from UNclimatechange on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

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