Belém must make history: From mines to climate frontlines, communities and civil society across the Asia Pacific and beyond unite for transition mineral justice at COP30

A joint statement by civil society groups, primarily from the Asia Pacific, urging COP30 to address the human rights and environmental impacts of transition minerals. The document proposes the creation of the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) and a Global Mineral Traceability Framework to ensure a just energy transition, highlighting the region's role as a hub for mineral reserves and green technology supply chains while noting the high risks faced by environmental defenders.

• The Asia Pacific region is central to the global energy transition, containing 25% of global mineral resources, over 50% of the world's nickel, and 60% of rare-earth reserves. China specifically dominates the supply chain, accounting for 78% of global electric vehicle battery cell manufacturing.
• The transition mineral boom is linked to significant ecological and human rights crises: mineral supply chains contribute 8% to 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and approximately 118,000 hectares of forests are estimated to be destroyed by 2050 to meet EU green goals. Furthermore, nearly 70% of transition minerals are located on or near Indigenous lands, and over 835 human rights abuses related to these minerals have been documented since 2010.
• The signatories propose two specific governance structures for COP30: the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) to coordinate Just Transition pathways in resource-rich countries, and a Global Mineral Traceability Framework to establish binding multilateral accountability for labor, emissions, and environmental rights in supply chains.
• The document demands a shift toward a circular economy and the implementation of 'no-go zones' and moratoriums on deep-sea mining and mining in small island states.

APA

TrendAsia (2025). Belém must make history: From mines to climate frontlines, communities and civil society across the Asia Pacific and beyond unite for transition mineral justice at COP30. Trend Asia. https://trendasia.org/en/ap-tma-cop30-joint-statement-belem-must-make-history-from-mines-to-climate-frontlines-communities-civil-society-across-the-asia-pacific-and-beyond-unite-for-transition-mineral-justice-at-cop30/

Chicago

TrendAsia. Belém must make history: From mines to climate frontlines, communities and civil society across the Asia Pacific and beyond unite for transition mineral justice at COP30. Trend Asia, 2025. https://trendasia.org/en/ap-tma-cop30-joint-statement-belem-must-make-history-from-mines-to-climate-frontlines-communities-civil-society-across-the-asia-pacific-and-beyond-unite-for-transition-mineral-justice-at-cop30/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=TrendAsia |title=Belém must make history: From mines to climate frontlines, communities and civil society across the Asia Pacific and beyond unite for transition mineral justice at COP30 |publisher=Trend Asia |date=14 November 2025 |url=https://trendasia.org/en/ap-tma-cop30-joint-statement-belem-must-make-history-from-mines-to-climate-frontlines-communities-civil-society-across-the-asia-pacific-and-beyond-unite-for-transition-mineral-justice-at-cop30/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{trendasia2025belm, author = {TrendAsia}, title = {{Belém must make history: From mines to climate frontlines, communities and civil society across the Asia Pacific and beyond unite for transition mineral justice at COP30}}, publisher = {Trend Asia}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://trendasia.org/en/ap-tma-cop30-joint-statement-belem-must-make-history-from-mines-to-climate-frontlines-communities-civil-society-across-the-asia-pacific-and-beyond-unite-for-transition-mineral-justice-at-cop30/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }