Georgina Gorman, Executive Director, TreeSisters
As we watch another COP unfold, it’s time for global leaders to abandon hollow pledges and confront the heart of our crisis: an economic system that prioritises profits over people and planet. Climate change isn’t the root cause—it’s a symptom of our fractured relationship with Nature. Indigenous communities, who protect 80% of the world’s biodiversity, have quietly safeguarded Earth’s resilience for centuries. Yet they receive less than 1% of global climate finance, while billions flow to the industries driving this crisis.
More than ever, we need leaders to listen, learn, and act. Indigenous knowledge and grassroots community restoration holds solutions to environmental challenges. The Ashaninka people in the Brazilian Amazon is just one example of this in action. This community is actively restoring their forests, defending the land, and preserving cultural wisdom that nurtures the Amazon’s resilience in the long term. TreeSisters are incredibly proud to partner with them and their work shows that resilient economies and respect for Nature can, and must, go hand in hand.
But meaningful action requires more than words. A $1.7bn commitment was made at COP26 in Glasgow to support Indigenous communities, yet much of this funding has been consumed by multilateral intermediaries. Far too little has been allocated to protect Indigenous land rights or tackle the ongoing issue of mineral extraction on Indigenous lands for the energy transition.
At COP29, leaders must put an end to the influence of oil lobbyists and capital-driven carbon markets that greenwash without impact. Redirecting funds from destructive industries to those protecting our planet is essential. Imagine the shift if even a fraction of the billions now backing fossil fuels and environmentally harmful subsidies were invested in community-led, Nature-positive initiatives.
For COP29 to be more than a summit, it must amplify Indigenous voices and allocate climate funds to those on the frontlines. Indigenous wisdom, sustainable finance, and true political courage can make Nature protection the standard, not the exception. TreeSisters stands with the Ashaninka and Indigenous communities everywhere, calling for real, lasting change.
