The Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior has docked in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, serving as a symbolic and practical centre for Indigenous voices and environmental activists.
A banner reading “Macron: good cop or bad cop?” was unfurled on the ship’s stern, directly calling out the French president and challenging traditional power dynamics in climate leadership.
The Rainbow Warrior has a storied history: its predecessors famously engaged in civil disobedience, and the current vessel continues the tradition of environmental advocacy with a focus on science and direct action.
As part of COP30’s “People’s COP,” a flotilla of hundreds of boats—including rivercraft carrying Indigenous delegates—is expected to join the ship in a visual and political statement along the Amazon.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to elevate Indigenous participation at COP30, and the Rainbow Warrior is helping facilitate that dialogue from the riverbanks.
Onboard events are planned during the summit, including panels on Indigenous land rights, biodiversity protection, and community-led climate adaptation strategies.
Activists aboard the ship emphasize the link between climate justice and social justice, arguing that protecting the Amazon is inseparable from protecting the cultural rights of its peoples.
The Rainbow Warrior’s presence also brings scientific inquiry to the fore, with crew members conducting water and biodiversity sampling to spotlight environmental threats in real time.
Greenpeace views the ship’s role in COP30 as more than a protest symbol: it’s a platform to amplify marginalized voices and bridge grassroots activism with formal climate policy negotiation.
As the summit continues, the Rainbow Warrior is expected to remain a central fixture—both physically and rhetorically—in COP30, reminding world leaders that Indigenous survival and ecosystem resilience must be woven into climate solutions.
