A group, Hands Off Mother Earth (HOME) Alliance has criticised the COP30 climate conference in Belém, branding it a “festival of false solutions” dominated by carbon-market interests, fossil-fuel lobbyists and promoters of risky geoengineering technologies.
In a strongly worded statement by the organisation, the Alliance said COP30 represented a “betrayal” of Indigenous Peoples, climate-justice movements and civil society, accusing governments of retreating from commitments to phase out fossil fuels while embracing “techno-fixes” that endanger ecosystems and frontline communities.
According to HOME, carbon markets are increasingly being used to legitimise controversial methods such as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Direct Air Capture, and marine Carbon Dioxide Removal — approaches they argue fail to tackle the root causes of the climate crisis.
Civil society groups noted an unprecedented presence of industry lobbyists at the talks.
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) reported that 531 carbon-capture lobbyists gained access to the negotiations, while the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition revealed that one in every 25 registered participants was linked to the fossil-fuel industry.
The Alliance also pointed to more than 20 COP30 side events and pavilion programmes promoting geoengineering initiatives, despite long-standing concerns over their environmental and social risks.
The statement stated that, HOME last week relaunched its manifesto — Our Home Is Not a Laboratory — calling for a global rejection of geoengineering and urging governments to prioritise community-led climate solutions grounded in justice and ecological integrity.
Members of the Alliance delivered strong condemnations of COP30’s direction: Adrienne Blatchford (Indigenous Environmental Network) rejected climate policies “rooted in extractive industries,” demanding Indigenous leadership in climate decision-making and the exclusion of geoengineering from global negotiations.
Nigerian Nnimmo Bassey, executive director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF said COP30 “avoided the hard issues” and condemned carbon markets and geoengineering as escape routes for polluters
Jana Uemura (Global Forest Coalition) said COP30 exposed the “corporate capture” of the UNFCCC and argued that the process must be fundamentally reformed to restore legitimacy.
Mohammed Usrof (Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy) warned that geoengineering initiatives are becoming entangled with military and surveillance interests, calling them a “dangerous extension of colonial power.”
Lili Fuhr (CIEL) accused fossil-fuel lobbyists of “capturing and compromising” the climate talks and delaying meaningful action on phasing out oil, gas and coal.
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Representatives from Climate Justice Alliance, ANGRY Youth Alliance, EcoNexus, Biofuelwatch, Friends of the Earth International, and ETC Group echoed similar concerns, rejecting corporate-driven mechanisms such as carbon offsets, CCS, solar-radiation modification, and nature-commodification schemes.
Despite the criticism, HOME highlighted strong civil-society mobilisation at COP30, including the large November 15 march and the Peoples Summit, which it described as evidence of “where true climate leadership lies.”
