Indigenous people sing “songs of resistance” as they march following a People’s Plenary held on the final day of the United Nations climate summit, COP30, that took place in Belém, Brazil, Nov. 10-21. Photo: Albin Hillert/LWF
[Episcopal News Service] After 12 days of calling for centering environmental advocacy and justice around Indigenous voices at the 30th United Nations climate conference, or COP30, in Bélem, Brazil, church leaders are reflecting on what they learned and how Episcopalians can work to address climate change.
Several Episcopal and Anglican leadership who traveled to Brazil last month for COP30 spoke about the experience in a Dec. 1 church webinar.
Despite the geographical differences of COP30 participants, “one of the things I noticed that is both sad and hopeful is that, like in all of the panels, the story [of Indigenous people worldwide] is so much the same,” the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s interim Indigenous Ministries missioner, said during the webinar.
At the U.N. conference, Indigenous leaders representing different tribes worldwide shared how they have engaged in tribal sovereignty initiatives to protect lands and local food supplies. For example, Brokenleg said, some Māori people from New Zealand shared their efforts to regulate jade mining to prevent further land destruction.
Brokenleg, who is Lakota, represented Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe at COP30 in what was the church’s 11th consecutive year participating in the conference.
Brokenleg’s participation at the Nov. 10-21 climate conference supported an Anglican Communion delegation led by Archbishop of Brazil Marinez Santos Bassoto, who also serves as Anglican bishop of the Amazon, where the world’s largest rainforest is located.
During COP30, world leaders, policymakers, climate scientists, activists, corporate executives and faith representatives addressed multiple issues related to climate change and environmentalism, including waste management and agriculture. This was the first year the United States didn’t formally send representatives to the conference, though California Gov. Gavin Newsom led an alternate delegation of more than 100 U.S. lawmakers.
Faith representatives participated in an ecumenical march and vigil for the Earth and a worship service at the Catedral Santa Maria. Brokenleg described the service as “beautiful.”
Martha Jarvis, the Anglican Communion’s U.N. representative, explained during the webinar the “Lungs of the Earth” initiative, which describes how Anglicans can be involved in working to restore and protect three vital ecosystems: forests, oceans and frozen landscapes. This includes participation in reforestation initiatives like the Communion Forest, and it also amplifies environmental and advocacy work from Anglican provinces around the world and celebrates the work of Anglican environmental activists, including Green Anglicans and the Anglican Communion Environmental Network.
“This focus on being in the Amazon, the importance of the COP being right at the center of one of the ‘lungs of the earth,’ made it into many political declarations, many written statements … This focus was one of the things that was recognized quite consistently in the political declarations,” Jarvis said.
More than 90 countries supported a deforestation roadmap, but it failed to make it to a final agreement. Last year, 8.1 million hectares of forest were lost globally, according to data from the Forest Declaration Assessment 2025, which was published in October.
COP30 did, however, result in some victories. For example, several countries pledged $7 billion for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a multilateral fund to help developing countries preserve their tropical forests.
“There is so much work that is left to do, and hopefully the spirit has touched each of us with our particular charge and call for action in our particular dimensions,” Lynnaia Main, The Episcopal Church’s U.N. representative, said during the webinar. “It takes all of us together.”
At 8 p.m. Eastern tonight, The Episcopal Church and the Green Caucus will host its monthly creation care compline via Zoom. Click here to register.
Episcopalians can learn more about the church’s commitment to addressing the global climate crisis on its website.
-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.