“I envision a future where we do not have fear another flood, another fire, or finding another murdered protector of the Amazon. I envision a future where our children, your children do not have to fight for the future of humanity.”
– Helena Gualinga, Kichwa Indigenous youth climate leader

After two weeks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt participating in the United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27), I’m reflecting on our purpose in attending and the outcomes.

Like many, my sentiments are bittersweet. We attended to call attention to the fact that the Amazon is at a tipping point and amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples, women, youth, and civil society who were demanding climate justice both inside and outside the official event. We also wanted to show our solidarity with Egyptian and African civil society, as this was the first COP on the continent.

Specifically, we attended COP27 to expose the increasing threats to the Amazon, climate, and Earth defenders; call for the protection of 80% of the Amazon by 2025; expose false solutions, including carbon offsets; demand the implementation of a global agreement that recognizes human rights and the rights of nature, and commits to phase-out of fossil fuels to keep global temperature rise at or below 1.5°C.