At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, over 3,000 Indigenous representatives gathered alongside world leaders to shape the global climate agenda. At the center was Joan Carling, a lifelong human rights activist from the Cordillera region of the Philippines, who pushed for Indigenous-led funds and policies that recognize the knowledge, autonomy, and central role Indigenous communities play in protecting the planet.

Indigenous peoples make up just 5% of the global population, yet they safeguard 80% of the world’s biodiversity. Despite this, their lands continue to be exploited, and their leaders face threats, violence, and exclusion from major climate negotiations. At COP30, Indigenous leaders demanded the right to self-determination, the demarcation of ancestral territories, and the direct resourcing of their communities — because climate justice cannot exist without Indigenous leadership.