Anglican primate of Brazil calls for Indigenous voices to be at the center of upcoming UN climate conference

[Episcopal News Service] The Most Rev. Marinez Santos Bassotto, primate of the Anglican Episcopal Church in Brazil and bishop of the Amazon, on Oct. 20 said that the voices of Indigenous people and advocacy for environmental justice must be central to discussions that will take place at COP30, the United Nations climate change conference taking place Nov. 10-21 in the Brazilian city of Belém.

Her comments were made during an online press conference of ecumenical faith leaders, facilitated by Christian Aid, a U.K.-based nonprofit that works globally to end poverty, and shared by the Anglican Communion News Service.

Bassotto, who is also the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Amazon, is in the U.K. through Oct. 24, and will also meet with Norwich Bishop Graham Usher, the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment, and take part in a round table discussion about climate justice at Lambeth Palace with U.K. church leaders and activists.

She will also play a major role in the People’s Summit, a parallel event to COP30 taking place Nov. 12-16 that will provide a platform for civil society, social movements and marginalized communities to voice their concerns and demands for climate justice.

The bishop is adamant that the voices of the Indigenous people of the region must be heard. She said, “I hope that their participation will be central and impactful. Their voices need to be at the center of discussions, because they are the ones who hold the ancestral and practical knowledge necessary for preservation. “

She added, “Climate justice will only be achieved when the territorial and cultural rights of these communities are fully recognized and respected. We want their voices to influence the negotiations, because their influence is the key to ensuring that the commitments made at the Summit are translated into concrete, effective and fair action.”

Mass deforestation continues to cause harm in Brazil, where in the Amazon, 68.9 million hectares of forest cover have been lost between 2001 and 2023, which threatens biodiversity, displaces Indigenous peoples and accelerates climate change.

During a May 2025 visit to Trinity Church in New York City, Bassotto said that from 2016 to 2023, Brazil saw a dismantling of environmental policies that had been in place for more than 40 years. As a result, “We saw Indigenous peoples lose access to their traditional lands, the return of banned pesticides, mining on previously protected land, and an increase in deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture.”

Bassotto also was the lead signer on a March 20, 2025, statement by faith leaders and organizations across Latin America and the Caribbean calling for action in the face of the climate crisis.

In it, they said, “Our territories, understood by us as sacred, are being destroyed. We witness the destruction of the Amazon, other ecosystems and the people who live there, caused by large-scale agriculture, mining, and fossil fuel extraction.” They noted, “Those who protect our lands – environmental and human rights defenders – are increasingly being persecuted.”

The Episcopal Church will be represented at COP30 by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, the church’s interim Indigenous missioner, who will attend the conference in support of an Anglican Communion delegation led by Bassotto. This will be the 11th year The Episcopal Church has participated in the U.N. climate conference.

“We are looking to partner more closely with those on the front lines of climate change, particularly with Anglican Communion partners,” the Rev. Lester Mackenzie, chief of mission program, said in a press release. “We aim to lift up the voices of Indigenous siblings for the People’s Summit, recognizing the unique perspective and witness they can offer.”

Episcopalians also can learn more about the church’s commitment to creation care and climate justice during an upcoming two-part webinar:

• Oct. 27, 2 p.m. Eastern: “Climate Action and COP30.”
• Dec. 1, 2 p.m. Eastern: “Climate Action Beyond COP30.”

Registration is available here.

“Climate change impacts everyone. Our world will continue to be affected by our individual choices and collective decisions in response. Indigenous peoples are central to our understanding and practice of healthy relationships between people and planet,” Lynnaia Main, the Episcopal Church’s representative to the U.N., told Episcopal News Service. “Episcopalians have an opportunity to listen and learn, and amplify Indigenous voices, by participating virtually during COP30 and sharing their own stories of local climate action. Learn more about how to participate on the Episcopal Church’s COP30 webpage.”

Ahead of COP30, the Anglican Communion Office has been sharing information about 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.

— Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.