As COP30 opens in Belém, civil society experts and climate justice groups are raising alarms about geoengineering, which is a risky, deliberate, large-scale technological scheme to manipulate the Earth’s systems, with the aim to temporarily mask some of the effects of climate change. These dangerous and unproven experiments are increasingly entering mainstream climate discourse and UN spaces but the reality is – these climate scams, pushed by powerful actors with vested interests, under the guise of climate action are a dangerous distraction, causing risks to ecosystems, biodiversity and climate systems.
Carbon markets are a driver behind many of these schemes and there is mounting evidence that they do not deliver real emissions reductions and often lead to human rights abuses, land grabs, and violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Our speakers will highlight how geoengineering proposals are likely to get entry under Paris Agreement’s Article 6 mechanisms, despite existing international moratorium and restrictive governance frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. They will also discuss the dangers of schemes like carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation modification that could have risky and devastating consequences for people and the planet. Panelists will draw attention to the colonial dimensions of geoengineering, with Indigenous leaders highlighting the threats and impacts that geoengineering poses to their lands, waters, and ecosystems, while youth groups will express concerns about co-option of youth in a push to legitimize these schemes.
Join us to hear why global civil society is pushing back and demanding a stop to geoengineering.
Date: 10 November, 2025
Time: 10.30 AM – 11.00 AM BRT | -3.00 UTC
Location: COP30, Blue Zone Press Conference 2 Area D and Online Link
Speakers
- Sara Shaw, Friends of the Earth International
- Adrienne Aakaluk Blatchford, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN)
- Alejandro Jamies, Alliance of Non-Governmental Radical Youth
Moderator
- Valentina Martinez, Global Forest Coalition
