“We hear the sound of your world collapsing. And you — can you hear us?” asked Yará, a 9-year-old from the Sateré Mawé people, during the High-Level Intergenerational Dialogue on Children and Climate, held in the Blue Zone on Monday (17). The meeting — a conversation across three generations about the present and the future — was part of the COP30 Action Agenda and organized in partnership with the COP30 Presidency.

More than 40 children and adolescents attended the exchange between young people aged 9 to 17 and leaders such as Ana Lucia Villela, Mary Robinson, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, and Alice Amorim, in a conversation moderated by Marcele Oliveira (PYCC). As Marcele reminded the room, “Intergenerationality is not about giving voice — it’s about recognizing that the voice already exists.”

The children’s questions made clear what they expect now: decisions.
“If there are so many climate plans, why does so little change for those living in the outskirts and riverbank communities?” asked João, 16.
“How can you decide the future of nature without asking the people who live with it every day?” challenged Dyellem, 17.
“What can you guarantee today — not only when I become an adult?” questioned Maria Isabelly, 15.
“Do you think you really listen to children, or only when it is convenient?” insisted Yará.
And Vicente, 11, voiced what many feel: “Why do we need to prove that we’re afraid in order to be taken seriously?”

Their message was unmistakable: children’s participation is not symbolic — it is strategic. As negotiations enter their second week, it is now up to the COP30 Presidency and participating countries to turn these demands into action and ensure that the impacts of the climate crisis on children truly become a priority in the decisions that will shape the future.

This Saturday, children and families took to the streets in defense of climate justice, carrying signs and messages they created themselves. With calls to “preserve like a child” and “care for the present to protect the future,” they highlighted the urgency of placing children at the center of climate decisions.

Wearing the message “Children’s COP. I am part of the solution,” they showed how culture, activism, and participation come together to affirm their presence in decision-making spaces.

The March, part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice, brought together Belém residents, COP30 participants, and organizations from across the city — expressing a collective commitment to a livable future for those already experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis.

By walking alongside them, we reaffirm: children are part of the solution — and there is no climate justice without listening to them and ensuring their needs are included.

We launched the Children’s COP Declaration at COP30, alongside more than 70 authorities committed to placing children at the center of climate action. “The Declaration is born from the urgency of ensuring that children are considered first in climate policies, from negotiation rooms to territories,” said JP Amaral, Alana’s Nature Manager.

The document is the result of years of collaboration with states and municipalities. It recognizes mandates that already prioritize children and publicly reaffirms this commitment.

COP30 marks an important step by highlighting the role of subnational governments and reinforcing a key principle: children are the group most affected by the climate crisis and historically the least considered in global negotiations.

Our journey to this moment includes a strong agenda — Mini-COPs led by children in nine countries, more than 1,300 letters delivered at the pre-COP, and ongoing dialogue to ensure childhood appears robustly in international decisions.

The Declaration synthesizes this path and points to what matters now: implementation in territories, cities, and public policies that reach children’s daily lives. We remain committed to turning this pledge into concrete action for those who matter most.

“The climate crisis is a crisis for the rights of children and adolescents. And when a disaster strikes, every layer of violence intensifies,” said Pedro Hartung, CEO of Alana, during a talk show at the Folha Space at COP30, focused on combating violence and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.

The discussion also featured Paula Alegria (Plan International), Sister Henriqueta (CNBB’s Justice and Peace Commission), and Estela Renner (Maria Farinha Filmes). Together, they emphasized an alarming reality: in Brazil, a child or adolescent is sexually abused every 8 minutes — a situation deepened by inequality and by the impacts of the climate crisis.

Pedro highlighted how multiple vulnerabilities accumulate across territories, increasing risks for children. Paula stressed the heightened violence girls face during climate emergencies and displacement. With decades of experience in the field, Sister Henriqueta posed the question that resonated throughout the conversation: “How long will our children have to remain in this state of pleading for a dignified life?”

From 10 to 25 November, Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon, will host COP30 — the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties.

There can be no climate justice without intergenerational dialogue. Children and young people bring new perspectives, innovative solutions, and the energy needed to drive transformation. #COPFORCHILDREN means placing childhood at the center of climate negotiations, ensuring that the decisions taken today do not deepen, but prevent, the inequalities of tomorrow.

This path is already being built. Brazil has taken meaningful steps to bring childhood, education, and nature together as foundations for a resilient society.

#COPFORCHILDREN is more than a call — it is an urgency. It aligns the collective effort envisioned for COP30 with the leadership and creativity of new generations. It ensures that the commitments made in Belém reflect a lasting responsibility to those who will live their consequences the longest: the children of the world.

On Friday teenagers and writer-navigator Tamara Klink came together to talk about courage and the role each generation plays in facing the climate crisis. Tamara shared her experience crossing the Northwest Passage in the Arctic — a route that once required an icebreaker and is now almost entirely melted. “This passage was never meant to be possible. It only became viable because of climate change. During my 60-day journey, I found ice on only 5 days.”

Among the young participants was Taíssa, a 15-year-old Magüta Indigenous girl, who brought the perspective of those already living the impacts of the crisis in their territories: “It’s very important that we, children, teenagers, and Indigenous peoples, are present in these spaces. But it’s sad that even while protecting the Amazon, we are often not allowed into important negotiation areas. If the forest still stands, it’s because of us.”

Part of the conversation was broadcast live, underscoring a crucial point: there is no real response to the climate crisis without hearing those who are already experiencing its consequences.

For us at Alana, moments like this must become part of the structure of global climate decision-making. Placing children and adolescents at the center means recognizing their transformative power — their ability to mobilize, imagine, and build pathways that adults often overlook.

We continue working so that this becomes one of the legacies of COP30: climate policies built with children and adolescents, not just for them.

During the #COPforChildren in Belém, Latin American children and adolescents aged 12 to 18 took part in the panel “COP for Children: putting the rights of children and adolescents at the center of climate action.”

Held at the Childhood and Adolescence Pavilion, located in the area with restricted access to UN-accredited negotiators and observers (the Blue Zone), they shared what is happening in their territories that brings them hope.

Their words revealed the strength of a generation that is already taking action: young people organizing from an early age, communities that resist, and movements that come together to protect life and transform the reality around them.

Each speech was a reminder that hope requires action. It is built through dialogue, participation, and the certainty that together we can change the course of the climate crisis. Check out some of what they said in the images below.

The #COPforChildren was born from this collective spirit — from those who believe that the future begins now, and that every true transformation starts by listening to those who are already making a difference.

Because believing in the power of childhood is believing in the world’s ability to reinvent itself.
And every child is the beginning of a new world.

At a panel held this Thursday at COP30, Pedro Hartung, CEO of Alana, emphasized that there is no climate transition without education. He highlighted that education is the infrastructure that prepares people to build a sustainable future — and to develop the green skills the world urgently needs.

The green transition is not driven only by technology or carbon targets, but by people equipped to act within a new socioeconomic model. According to the international report “The Returns to Resilience”, investments in climate resilience could generate 280 million jobs in emerging economies by 2035 — jobs that will only exist if new generations are properly trained.

These skills begin to take shape at school. That is why Alana advocates for nature-based education, one that supports teachers, transforms curricula, and creates learning environments connected to territory and sustainability.

The stories we tell shape the world we build.
During COP30, Estela Renner, director and co-founder of Maria Farinha Filmes, took part in the panel “Stories on Screen for Real Impact: Mobilizing Film and Television for Climate Action” in the Blue Zone.

She highlighted the role of audiovisual storytelling in tackling the climate crisis — a powerful tool to turn awareness into action and inspire empathy and change.
According to Estela, every production begins with dialogue among scientists, experts, and organizations to ensure real impact.

Sharing the experience of the series Aruanas, watched by over 35 million people per episode, Estela emphasized that it is possible to unite entertainment, art, and purpose in building a more just and sustainable future.

We can no longer ignore that those who have contributed the least to the climate crisis are suffering its consequences the most. Children and adolescents make up one-third of the global population—and half of them, around one billion, are already having their lives disrupted by extreme weather events such as floods, prolonged droughts, pollution, and heatwaves. This is the reality faced by children and adolescents all over the world. The time has come to recognize and include their voices at the COP—listening to and addressing their pains and demands, especially those of the most marginalized: girls, Black, Indigenous, quilombola, riverside, and low-income children, as well as children with disabilities.

Children and adolescents will inherit this planet. Investing in them today is, above all, an opportunity for global climate negotiations—and the key to achieving intergenerational equity. After all, a healthy climate for children is a safe climate for everyone.

In 2024, for the first time, the Expert Dialogue was held during SB60—a dedicated day bringing together countries, organizations, and experts to discuss the disproportionate impacts of climate change on children and adolescents. This marked an important step forward in recognizing them as rights-holders. However, it is urgent that such initiatives lead to concrete climate actions centered on this population. Across 29 COPs, there has not yet been a single robust decision focused on protecting the rights and best interests of children and adolescents.

That is why we call on COP30 to leave a legacy for present and future generations and their families—a legacy that advances intergenerational equity by recognizing and ensuring that children and adolescents are a primary consideration. This means including them transversally in COP processes, recognizing their specificities and vulnerabilities in the face of the climate crisis. To make this happen, we must:

1. Secure the first COP decision focused on the protection of children and adolescents.
   COP30 must respond to the Expert Dialogue with a decision that recognizes the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis on this population and ensures the mainstreaming of their rights and best interests across all COP agendas. This decision should explicitly mention children and adolescents as a primary consideration in climate solutions and establish a mechanism to monitor its implementation.
2. Ensure the participation and leadership of children and adolescents in the COP process and in national policies.
   Children and adolescents must be heard and considered in climate discussions and decision-making. Party delegations should promote their participation in national plans and include them as part of their official national delegation to the COP, while also strengthening their capacities.
3. Establish a child-centered COP Presidency.
   Every COP Presidency should guarantee the meaningful and qualified participation of children and adolescents throughout its mandate, connecting their requests to both the Action Agenda and the negotiation tracks. The Presidency’s Youth and Children’s Champion (PYCC) should actively include children in listening processes and incorporate their recommendations into the Presidency’s priorities.
4. Build an inclusive COP for children and adolescents.
   The COP must be accessible to children and their caregivers so they can feel safe, included, and able to participate meaningfully in the conference—both through the event’s physical infrastructure and through a clear safeguarding policy designed to ensure their protection.
5. Place the education sector at the center of climate solutions.
   Schools and the education agenda must go beyond climate literacy and become central to strategies for adaptation and climate resilience. This means integrating nature-based solutions into school environments and rethinking pedagogical practices so that children and adolescents can learn with and in nature—and also learn how to respond to climate-related disasters and risks.

As Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President-Designate, stated:

“We must remind ourselves that it is these children and adolescents who will live the longest with the consequences of the decisions we make.”

It is in this spirit that this manifesto stands—urgent and necessary.
The time is now: let COP30 be the Children’s COP!

During Education Day at COP30, in Belém (PA), we reinforced a conviction we deeply share: educating is acting for the climate. We brought together educators, students, public leaders, and decision-makers around a common understanding — the transformation starts with how we learn and how we relate to the planet.

In the opening session, our founder and president, Ana Lucia Villela, highlighted that integrating nature and learning helps rebuild essential bonds — of health, safety, belonging, and hope. As she reminded us, education is as decisive for addressing the climate crisis as energy or transportation.

The Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, emphasized that care grows from learning: when a child understands the value of water, life, and the environment, they bring this awareness to their families and communities.

And Giovana, a student and guardian of nature, reminded us that change begins in everyday life — in our schools, our streets, and the choices we make.

Education Day showed that we need systemic and cross-sector responses. Integrating different forms of knowledge — from educators, students, managers, and communities — is essential for lasting solutions.

This is what drives us: placing education and nature at the center of the responses to the climate emergency, supporting public policies, strengthening communities, and inspiring a societal movement in which children always come first.

On Tuesday, during the second day of COP30, we held a press conference in partnership with Our Kids’ Climate, bringing together mothers and children from different parts of the world. They shared their feelings and ideas about the future they want — with living forests, clean rivers, and schools that teach about the climate and caring for the Earth.

The meeting highlighted the power of intergenerational dialogue and reinforced that climate action must include listening, protection, and hope. Children don’t just want to be heard — they want to be part of the solutions.

To encourage more ethical and participatory coverage, we launched, together with ANDI – Communication and Rights, the guide “How to Interview Children and Adolescents on the Climate Agenda,” offering practical guidance for journalists and communicators.

Access the guide:
In Portuguese
In English