Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Brazil in what youth leader Ana Heloisa Alves, 27, described as the biggest climate march she has ever joined. “This is incredible. You can’t ignore all these people,” she said, as her group rallied to protect the Tapajos River, which the Brazilian government has proposed for commercial development. Their signs read: “The river is for the people.”
The march reflected a growing wave of popular participation in climate activism. Pablo Neri, coordinator for the Movimento dos Trabajadores Rurais Sem Terra in the state of Pará, said organizers of climate talks must involve more voices to represent the movement’s shift toward grassroots engagement.
The protest also drew sharp criticism of the United States, which under President Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as a scam and withdrawn from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. Demonstrator Flavio Pinto, dressed in a brown suit and oversized American flag top hat, performed on stilts while fanning himself with fake hundred-dollar bills bearing Trump’s face. His sign declared: “Imperialism produces wars and environmental crises.”
The march underscored both local and global frustrations, with activists demanding stronger action to protect Brazil’s environment while also condemning international powers for failing to take responsibility in the fight against climate change.
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