From Brazil to Birmingham: building bridges for global climate justice

As world leaders gathered in Belém for the COP30 Climate Summit, University of Birmingham experts and students were progressing the University’s call for environmental movers and shakers to work together in shaping a sustainable and just future for all.

Academics and students took part in high-level engagements, roundtables, and student-led initiatives in the Amazon that spotlighted the University’s long-term commitment to international collaboration, climate justice, and public engagement.

The hard work now continues with regional, national, and international policymakers, as University experts advocate for the recommendations in their evidence-based policy briefs. These are key documents bridging innovative research with actionable climate solutions in five critical areas: adaptation and resilience, sustainability education, equitable energy transition, climate justice and health, and climate finance.

Professor David Hannah, Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA) Director, said: “Just as ecosystems are deeply interconnected, so too are sustainability challenges and solutions in a changing climate. Universities play a pivotal role in building partnerships and fostering dialogue that unlock the full potential of our collective expertise - enabling evidence-based decisions that shape a sustainable future for generations to come.”

Raising the student voice

University of Birmingham Brazil Institute (UBBI) Co-Director Dr Angelo Martins Junior, Dr Helen Onyeaka and Professor Liza Jabbour (BISCA Deputy Directors) led the University’s delegation at COP30 and the Amazon region. Student participation was a key part of the University’s presence, and the academic delegation was accompanied by three undergraduate students — Benika Lal, Lennox Stevenson, and Hadil Touihri — who had taken part in the UBBI’s Immerse Amazonia summer school earlier in the year.

At UFPA, Benika, Lennox and Hadil joined a student-led roundtable, ‘Transnational Dialogues for a Sustainable Future’, where they reflected on their experience learning and co-producing knowledge alongside Brazilian students in the Amazon. The students also engaged in interviews with scientists, activists, policy makers, and Indigenous leaders – taking part in COP panels and meeting UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband MP, and UK Deputy Ambassador to Brazil Tony Kay OBE.

Chemical engineering specialist Dr Helen Onyeaka and international economics expert Professor Liza Jabbour took part in the conference, where BISCA hosted three events in the Blue Zone - the Summit’s main venue for official negotiations:

• ‘An Insider’s Blueprint: A Lifetime of Proven Climate Action on the Ground’;

• ‘Bridging Research and Policy for Global Climate Action’ - joined by Hadil Touihri who shared her perspectives on the importance of creating meaningful spaces for young people in climate negotiations; and

• ‘Collaboration in Action: International Research Partnerships as Catalyst for System Wide Climate Solutions’ - joined by Dr Martins who highlighted the need for more inclusive, place-based, and co-created partnerships between UK institutions and Brazil.

These events shed light on the role that education institutions, like the University of Birmingham, can play in fostering impactful and inclusive climate action through equitable partnerships.

Professor Liza Jabbour, Deputy Director of BISCA, said: “Events like COP30 highlight the importance of empowering diverse voices when addressing complex challenges like climate change. They emphasise the importance of multilateral collaborations and knowledge exchanges for driving climate action and building a more resilient, prosperous and hopeful future.”

Dr Helen Onyeaka, Deputy Director of BISCA, said: “Being in Belém reinforced what I see every day in my work: climate, health, and food systems are inseparable. The next chapter is about scaling up partnerships that move us beyond promises into practical, just, and sustainable change.”

Dr Martins Junior joined a high-profile roundtable at Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and its Núcleo de Altos Estudos Amazônicos (NAEA), a leading research centre on the Amazon. The panel discussed the role of partnerships and collaboration in global research. He also led two workshops at UFPA’s Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH): one on international opportunities and academic writing in English, and another on scientific engagement and the evaluation of social impact.

He joined a panel at the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology’s Casa da Ciência at COP30, discussing how scientific communication can tackle climate denial and misinformation — a central challenge in building public trust and democratic responses to climate emergencies. Dr Martins was also a panel member for ‘United Kingdom–Brazil Partnerships: Lessons Learned and Challenges in Research, Funding, and Social Impact’ in the Blue Zone.

Dr Martins said: “Being at COP30 with our students and Brazilian partners reinforced our belief that climate action must be locally grounded, globally informed, and built through trust, shared responsibility, and the co-production of knowledge. UBBI is proud to help create that space.”

One of the delegation’s most impactful moments was meeting indigenous leader Kôkôixumti Tembé Jathiati Parkatejê, from the Zawara Uhu village in Pará. The group discussed the tangible effects of climate change on indigenous territories and the broader stakes of climate diplomacy for forest peoples.

Returning to Birmingham, students and academics took part in the University’s annual Student Sustainability Day where they showcased Immerse Amazonia and joined an insightful COP30 panel event – the start of the young delegates’ ongoing role as student climate ambassadors.

For academics involved in the University’s interdisciplinary research, led through initiatives like BISCA and UBBI, the work continues to help those movers and shakers translate policy briefs’ recommendations into climate action that helps to deliver a sustainable and just future for all.