The letter from São Paulo’s peripheral neighborhoods to COP30

November 14, 2025

Activists from São Paulo's marginalized peripheral neighborhoods have developed approximately 30 proposals to present at the upcoming COP 30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil. The "Letter from the Peripheries on Commitments for the Climate," signed by 50 collectives and 1,000 community leaders, addresses issues like flooding, housing inadequacy, and environmental degradation that disproportionately affect poor areas. The Peripheral Front for Rights, which organized the initiative, argues that residents of these neighborhoods experience climate impacts first and most severely, yet their perspectives are typically excluded from international climate discussions dominated by privileged elites.

Who is affected

Residents of São Paulo's peripheral (marginalized, poorer) neighborhoods
50 collectives and 1,000 community leaders who signed the letter
Children and teenagers from neighborhoods like Jardim Lucélia, Jardim Shangri-lá, and Grajaú
The Guaraní people from the Tekoá Pyau Indigenous Village in Jaraguá
Quilombola communities (descendants of escaped enslaved people)
Riverside dwellers
People living in informal settlements in Environmental Protection Areas (APAs)
Residents of Cidade Ademar and Pedreira regions near dams and sewage flows
Families affected by construction on Alvarenga Road near Billings Dam

What action is being taken

The Peripheral Front for Rights is mobilizing activists to take proposals to COP 30 (November 10-21, 2025)
Social educators, culture collectives, and teachers are working to raise awareness about Sustainable Development Objectives and environmental racism
Communities are implementing solutions such as cleaning streams, community vegetable gardens and farms, solidarity groups during storms, environmental support networks, and community communications
Community reforestation efforts are underway
Recycling cooperatives are being strengthened
Rainwater collection networks are being expanded
Activists are holding meetings with residents, including more than 200 children

Why it matters

This matters because peripheral neighborhoods experience the worst impacts of climate change first due to poor urban planning that has relegated marginalized communities to dilapidated, high-risk areas, yet these communities' perspectives and knowledge are systematically excluded from major climate policy discussions. The initiative challenges the traditional power structure of international climate conferences, which have been historically dominated by older, white, cisgender men and diplomatic figures who do not represent the diverse populations most affected by environmental disasters. By centering community-driven solutions and lived experiences of those on the frontlines of climate change, the letter demands recognition that effective climate action requires participation from those directly experiencing environmental injustice, particularly in a context where São Paulo's expansion prioritized economic interests over equitable development.

What's next

Peripheral activists plan to attend COP 30 in Belém (November 10-21, 2025) to present their proposals
They plan to connect with people from other countries, regions, and marginalized areas of Brazil to present a project shaped by society's peripheries
The letter's proposals are intended to guide future public policies and community practices promoting socio-environmental justice

Read full article from source: Global Voices