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Pan American experiences
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COP30 on the brink of change: climate justice with historic reparations at its coreBy Estefanía Muriel for Ruta Pantera on 10/17/2025 2:27:30 PM |
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| COP30 on the brink of change: climate justice with historic reparations at its core As the world awaits the opening of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, various environmental and human rights organizations have made a strong demand: that this summit not repeat the mistakes of the past and place historical reparations alongside climate justice. More than 240 groups have already signed a public letter urging the attending governments to recognize that reducing emissions is not enough: it is a moral and political obligation to repair the inequalities generated by centuries of colonialism, racism, and exploitation. A global demand: there is no justice without reparation The text sent to COP30 organizers emphasizes that the most industrialized countries, historically responsible for a large portion of global emissions, cannot evade their debt to the most affected nations. The letter demands that the legacies of colonialism and slavery be recognized as structural factors that increased inequalities in the face of climate change. It also calls for an official space at the meeting with direct leadership from African, Afro-descendant, and Indigenous communities, so that their voices are not merely rhetoric. According to the call, there can be no climate justice without restorative justice. This perspective implies that countries with the greatest historical responsibility must provide resources, but also acknowledge damages, guarantee effective participation, and make binding commitments. In this sense, the resurgence of the concept of reparations in the climate field is supported by recent international legal pronouncements. The jurisprudence that drives the requirement The credibility of this claim is strengthened by an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) published in July 2025. In that ruling, the tribunal declared that states' inaction in the face of climate change may constitute an internationally wrongful act and that injured nations are entitled to remedies—including compensation, restitution, and measures of satisfaction—when there is a causal link to their past emissions. This pronouncement establishes a growing legal obligation for historical polluters to be held accountable to those most harmed. | ||||
| legal pronouncements. Photo by Vincent MA Janssen/ Pexels . Several Caribbean countries, historically affected by hurricanes and rising sea levels, have celebrated the ruling as a symbolic and practical victory: international support for articulating climate justice demands with legal underpinnings. For these states, the ruling not only legitimizes current claims for loss and damage, but also paves the way for broader demands for structural restitution. Expectations and tensions in Belém COP30, scheduled to take place from November 10 to 21, 2025, in Belém, is seen as a defining moment. As host, Brazil bears a dual responsibility: not only coordinating ambitious logistics in the heart of the Amazon, but also assuming an ethical role in leading the climate justice debate. Considering that Brazil is home to the largest Afro-descendant population outside of Africa and large Indigenous communities, the call for its leadership in reparations takes on symbolic and political weight. Advance publicity for the event shows that, alongside traditional negotiations on emissions, adaptation, and financing, a push to incorporate reparation clauses and genuine participation by those most affected is looming. A turning point in climate governance If COP30 agrees to integrate historical reparations as a structural axis, it will mark a turning point: from viewing climate change as an isolated technical-scientific issue to recognizing it as a social phenomenon deeply linked to past injustices. The demand is no longer just "who pollutes the most," but "who was able to do so decades ago with systemic advantages." However, the radical nature of this approach carries risks: polarization, diplomatic deadlocks, debates over national sovereignty, and resistance from countries with greater historical responsibility. To ensure this proposal does not remain a symbolic one, it will be crucial that the measures emerging from Belém include ambitious financing mechanisms, transparency, mediation instruments, and recognition of collective rights. COP30 could become the international laboratory where reparations among peoples condemned to climate change can move from aspirational rhetoric to systemic policy. For many activists and social movements, this step is essential: without reparations, there is no justice that can withstand the siege of climate change. | ||||
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