In a world increasingly defined by climate upheaval, two major international gatherings—one in Brasília, Brazil, and the other on Colombia’s Caribbean coast—have cast a fresh spotlight on the urgent need for climate justice and innovative carbon solutions. These back-to-back conferences, held in July and August 2025, drew government officials, scientists, civil society leaders, and local communities from across the globe. Their mission: to forge new paths for resilience, equity, and finance in the face of escalating environmental crises.
The 2025 Global Symposium on Climate Justice and Impacted Populations convened in Brasília from July 28 to 31, serving as a strategic milestone ahead of the COP30 climate summit scheduled for Belém, Brazil. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which co-hosted the event with the Brazilian government, the symposium’s theme—"Rights in a Changing Climate: Advancing Health, Sexual and Reproductive Rights, and Gender Equality"—reflected a growing recognition that climate change is not just an environmental issue but a profound human rights crisis.
Participants from more than 20 countries, including the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, and the United States, joined both in person and virtually. The diversity of voices was matched by the urgency of their message. As Hugo Rolando Nopo Aguilar, a Senior Economist at the World Bank, put it: "Brazil is one of the countries prone to natural disasters." He went on to warn that, within Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazil is expected to see the highest increases in poverty due to such disasters—a sobering prediction that resonated throughout the gathering.
Mohamed Ageez, Youth Participation Officer at UNFPA’s Arab States Regional Office, underscored the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls, especially in low-income nations. "Climate change represents the foremost environmental challenge of our time," Ageez stated. "It disproportionately impacts those least responsible for it, citing that women and girls, particularly in low-income nations, face heightened risks from extreme weather events." This theme echoed in presentations from other regions as well. Augustus Lito M. Narag, a director for the Philippines’ Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, revealed that climate change not only disrupts access to sexual and reproductive health services but also exacerbates gender-based violence and deepens economic inequities.
Thais Lemos Ribeiro, Coordinator of Education in Human Rights and the Environment at Brazil’s Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, summed up the mood of the symposium: "Climate change is not just an environmental crisis, it’s a human rights crisis." Ribeiro stressed the need to prioritize the dignity, health, and choices of millions—particularly women and youth—in all climate action. The call for rights-based approaches was further amplified by Bothaina Eltigani, a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, who presented evidence linking food security to the reduction of gender-based violence against adolescent girls affected by drought in Southern Africa. Eltigani argued that rights-based social protection is a vital opportunity to implement transformative climate financing, going beyond summit rhetoric to actionable, grassroots solutions.
The Brasília symposium was more than just a talking shop. It marked the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, reinforcing the need for climate justice that upholds sexual and reproductive health, combats gender-based violence, and dismantles harmful practices. Yet, as the road to COP30 in Belém unfolds, practical challenges loom large. Many delegations from developing nations have voiced concerns about soaring accommodation costs in Belém, raising fears that vital voices could be priced out of the global conversation.
Meanwhile, on Colombia’s Santa Marta coast, another front in the climate battle was taking shape. From August 12 to 14, more than 500 participants from 50 countries gathered for the International Blue Carbon and Wetlands Conference. Hosted by Colombia’s leading marine science institute, the event focused on turning mangroves and wetlands into "market-ready blue carbon assets"—a strategy aimed at attracting investment and generating verified carbon credits to fund conservation and restoration.
Dr. Stephen Crooks, Co-Chair of the International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group and keynote speaker, opened the conference with a direct challenge: "Where are we on carbon markets? How do we start recognizing more credits for the projects we’re already working on? How do we get more value out of the credits we’re generating? And what are some of the new tools and science that are emerging?" According to Crooks, the key to unlocking blue carbon’s financial potential is robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV)—a technical but vital process that links science, management, and market credibility.
At the heart of the conference was a collaborative initiative led by Panama, Suriname, Jamaica, and Colombia. Each country brought unique strengths: Panama’s integration of biodiversity conservation and public engagement, Suriname’s technical MRV expertise, Jamaica’s practical approaches to mangrove restoration, and Colombia’s real-world experience generating carbon credits with stilt-house communities. These villages, built over water and reliant on mangrove ecosystems, offer a living demonstration of how local livelihoods and climate goals can align. MRV systems, the conference agreed, are essential for documenting and verifying these efforts, ultimately unlocking their value in international carbon markets.
The MRV initiative is spearheaded by the St Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The University of the West Indies (UWI STACIE), funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Cheryle Tewarie-Dubay, Acting Director of UWI STACIE, called the conference "a vital milestone in our regional efforts to protect, restore, and sustainably manage coastal blue carbon ecosystems." Gerard Alleng, Senior Climate Change Specialist at IDB, linked the science directly to investment readiness, emphasizing the need for solid science and strong institutional capacity.
The conference’s final day took delegates out of the meeting halls and into the field, with a visit to the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta—the largest coastal wetland in the Colombian Caribbean and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Here, participants witnessed grassroots restoration efforts in the Caño Clarín tidal channel, reinforcing the idea that MRV is not just a technical standard but a grounded framework for turning community-driven solutions into market-ready assets with both climate and community dividends.
As the world gears up for COP30 in Belém, the lessons from Brasília and Santa Marta are clear: climate justice and carbon finance are not abstract concepts. They are lived realities for millions, demanding both high-level policy and grassroots action. The path forward will require not just bold ideas but inclusive participation, innovative finance, and a relentless focus on the rights and resilience of those most affected by our changing climate.
