“Without Indigenous peoples, there are no solutions to the climate crisis!”

COP28 in Dubai was a lesson in contradiction. On one hand, there were unprecedented and powerful advances – not the least of which was the level of participation by Indigenous people, especially Indigenous women. On the other hand, the presence of the fossil fuel industry overwhelmed civil society, as it had close to 2,500 representatives weaving their oily way through the delegates – almost four times as many as the previous COP.

As a result, the final draft of a COP28 agreement failed to include a “phase out” of fossil fuels and sets us on a path to surpass 1.5 degrees, which is a death sentence for island nations and communities on the front lines of extraction.

Time is running out and the road to COP30 in Brazil must include real efforts to keep the fossil fuel industry from dominating – or even participating in the meetings.