Drought-affected people corner secretary at COP28 – 12/04/2023 – Environment

Surrounded by dozens of representatives of social movements at COP28, the UN climate conference, in Dubai, the energy transition secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Thiago Barral, listened in silence to a series of criticisms of the ministry’s projects, such as exploration of oil in Foz do Amazonas and mining projects.

The main complaint was the lack of listening to the populations affected by the projects. “Is it fair for who? Is it inclusive for who? What price will this energy transition cost? We do want to participate in the debate”, said Luciane Souza, from the Vozes Negras pelo Clima network.

Camila Aragão, from the Vozes Negras pelo Clima network, mentioned the drought and contamination from mining. “We suffer this at the base. When our native peoples are drinking water with minerals, when there are no more fish in the Amazon and there is a drought. So we don’t want any more demagoguery or hypocrisy; we want to participate in the decisions at the table”, he stated.

“No [queremos] be consulted more as statistics, industrial jobs or underemployment. We want to live according to our history, our perception of territory, ancestral technologies and life. We want to be alive and survive this,” he added.

“Remember what you did to the Doce River, putting lives on the brink of extinction. You do not represent our territories”, highlighted Thiago Guarani, leader of the Jaraguá Indigenous Land.

Luciane Souza also mentioned damage caused by mining. “I’m from Espírito Santo, from the Doce river channel. There are more than a million people affected for whom Vale has not yet compensated”, he added, in a message to the mining company that had just presented a panel on that same stage, within the Brazilian pavilion at COP28.

Representatives from the Ministry of Mines and Energy and Vale did not respond to the demonstrations.

_{Reporter Ana Carolina Amaral traveled at the invitation of Avaaz, Instituto Arapyaú and Internews.}