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Indigenous leader warns COP30 risks becoming a business fair COP30 Brazil valorinternational.txt
Indigenous writer and bilheye da quina de s?o jo?o 2019Brazilian Academy of Letters member Ailton Krenak is worried about the direction of the UN Climate Conference that Brazil will host in November in Belém, capital of Pará state. Without hesitation, he warned that the event risks being reduced to a business fair, with markets dominating the agenda that, in his view, only Brazil could lead differently. “Society excluded, Indigenous peoples excluded, the Amazon excluded, and the market inside. That’s the summary of the COP,” he said. In an interview with Valor, Mr. Krenak criticized the centrality given to oil and the delays in the energy transition, even as Brazil is marketed globally as a leader in renewable energy. According to him, the transition is not accessible to all and conceals the financial dynamics that will shape the conference corridors. Brazil’s claim to be “the leader of the energy transition” strikes him as arrogant and aligned with market interests. “The active agenda of the COP will be business, turning it all into a financial dynamic. The energy transition will take another 40 to 50 years. Meanwhile, we are eating the planet,” he said, referring to unchecked industrial extraction of minerals, oil, and gas. Mr. Krenak used the same analogy at an event in S?o Paulo in August, in a dialogue with neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro. Speaking calmly, he warned that the environmental agenda has been perversely manipulated to deflect attention from urgent issues that go beyond deforestation and include abusive use of soil. The author of several bestsellers, including Ideas to Postpone the End of the World (2019), Mr. Krenak also considers preparations for COP30 weak and superficial: “They’re limping along, with shallow debates about hotels and logistics that serve as a smokescreen,” he said. “Much more important would be for rich countries to play a supporting role so the conference can truly happen.” Marina Silva and the bioeconomy On Environment Minister Marina Silva’s role, Mr. Krenak sees the discourse on bioeconomy as an adaptation rather than a break with exploitation in the Amazon. “When she talks about bioeconomy, it signals that some new economic framework will continue the brutal exploitation of the Amazon. It’s not a ‘no’ to the system, but an adaptation,” he said. Still, he acknowledged Ms. Silva’s influence in global debates at a moment when Brazil plays a central role in climate negotiations. “If Europe understands Brazil’s importance in this context, it will stop sabotaging the conference and take a more proactive role in supporting the Amazon basin economies,” he added. Children and youth For Mr. Krenak, the transformation needed to confront the climate and civilizational crisis will not come from markets, corporations, or even science. “The change will probably come from what we call childhood,” he said, stressing that children and young people are already born with a perception of the planet as a complex, threatened whole, rather than a fragmented space of countries and regions. About to turn 72 this month, Mr. Krenak avoids labels of pessimist or optimist. Instead, he provokes reflection. He urges closer attention to the different layers of childhood and youth. “The youngest know everything. They are sure we face a grave threat of extinction. School-age children doubt the official narrative, though they still prolong the experience. Teenagers don’t want to carry on with this failed society. They don’t believe in their parents. As Greta Thunberg said, adults stole our future,” he said. This skepticism, he noted, extends to young adults: “Most in their twenties aren’t planning to marry, build a household, or reproduce this society. They question it,” he said. In this sense, Mr. Krenak believes change will not come from older generations or traditional structures, but from children and youth who carry the responsibility of reshaping social life. This article was translated from Valor Econ?mico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles.
