Brazil Matters highlight two important events taking place tomorrow.

As governments and corporations accelerate efforts to address the climate crisis, two urgent questions are coming into sharper focus: who bears the costs of the green transition, and whose voices shape climate solutions?

Two upcoming public events will bring these questions to the forefront, featuring Indigenous leaders, quilombola representatives, environmental defenders, and international experts from Brazil and beyond.

The first event reflects on the legacy of COP30 in Belém and the growing movement to centre Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and environmental defenders in global climate governance. Featuring leaders involved in the People’s COP House initiative, a Guarani-Kaiowá Indigenous representative, and Global Witness, the discussion will examine why frontline communities must move from the margins to the centre of climate negotiations. It will also highlight the We Are the Answer campaign, which champions the leadership, knowledge, and solutions that Indigenous peoples and traditional communities bring to addressing the climate crisis.

Wednesday, June 24th, 11 AM – 1 PM at Anomalous SpaceLondon, England

Speakers

• Ali Rocha (chair) – Journalist and human-Rights campaigner, founder and director of Brazil Matters
• Claudelice Santos – Human rights and environmental defender, founder of the Zé Claudio e Maria Institute, coordinator of the People’s Cop House in Belém at COP30
• Jaqueline Aranduhá – Indigenous leader and activist from the Guarani and Kaiowá peoples of Brazil, co-founder of ANMIGA
• Ariel Haber – Director of Communications at Global Witness

Register here.

The second event will explore the rapid expansion of critical mineral extraction in Minas Gerais, focusing on lithium mining in Vale do Jequitinhonha and rare earth projects in Poços de Caldas. As demand for minerals used in electric vehicles, batteries, and renewable energy technologies continues to grow, communities on the frontlines are raising concerns about environmental impacts, water access, territorial rights, and the risks of ‘green colonialism’—where the pursuit of climate solutions reproduces historic patterns of extraction and inequality. Speakers include Indigenous political leader Célia Xakriabá, representatives of quilombola communities, and researchers examining the social and environmental consequences of the energy transition.

Wednesday, June 24th, 3 PM – 5 PM at Anomalous SpaceLondon, England

Speakers

• Ali Rocha (chair) – Journalist and Human-Rights Campaigner, coordinator of Brazil Matters
• Jake Simms – Just Transition Coordinator, London Mining Network
• Célia Xakriabá (online) – Federal Deputy, the first Indigenous woman from Minas Gerais state elected to Congress
• Lucas Martins (online) – Quilombola community leader and advocate from the Jequitinhonha Valley
• Rose Miguel (online) – Community leader resisting rare earths mining in Poços de Caldas

Register here.

Together, these events offer a powerful opportunity to hear directly from those defending territories, ecosystems, and human rights at the frontlines of environmental and climate struggles in Brazil.

Brazil Matters raises awareness of Brazilian issues, from politics and economy to environment and culture, promoting the rights and fights of women, workers, black, indigenous and LGBTQI+ in Brazil.