Last Saturday (22), the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) came to an end. Over two weeks, acting in the official delegation, as a speaker and representing civil society initiatives, Bárbara Barros, a civil servant at the Civil House of the State of Rio de Janeiro and Alumni RenovaBR, followed the negotiations in Belém, articulating dialogues and expanding her presence in strategic spaces of climate diplomacy.
She explains that, from the outside, the UN seems like a "performative" environment where important decisions never materialize. But closely observing the dynamics of the negotiations made her realize another reality: "Diplomacy takes time. It's slow, but things happen," she says. This broader perspective, she says, helped her understand how global consensus is built—and why technical and political influence in these spaces makes a difference.
The city as a starting point for understanding the climate crisis.
The debates about climate adaptation and urban resilience touched on a personal experience that shaped Bárbara's trajectory. She recounts spending years commuting between Bangu, downtown Rio, and Seropédica, accumulating up to six hours a day on public transport. It was there, in her daily life, that she began to question why access to the city is so unequal—and why basic services fail to respond to the increasingly extreme climate.
She points out that Rio is a territory where "40 degrees in the shade" is not an exaggeration, and where the lack of trees, drainage, and adequate mobility affects the physical and emotional health of the population. "It's a real climate anxiety," she summarizes. Today, at the Civil House, she works in the Sub-Secretariat of Inclusive Policies, ensuring that projects aimed at children and adolescents engage with this vision for more humane cities, prepared for the future.
Despite important advances, Barbara emphasizes that COP30 is still a predominantly white, male space, far removed from Brazilian diversity. "As a young Black woman, being there is crucial," she states. She highlights the increased presence of Black youth and women at COP30—and celebrates the symbolic and political achievements of this movement.
Diversity, representation, and youth presence at COP30
Among the lessons she intends to bring to state public policies, Bárbara highlights social participation — especially of young people — in decision-making spaces. She cites as an example the POICC, an international youth space at COP, which this year was chaired by Brazil. “We are not talking about building the future; we are talking about doing it now,” she states.
Advocating for sustainable cities also involves concrete measures, such as expanding mass transit, electrifying fleets, and policies like zero-fare public transport, which, according to her, already have feasibility studies and relatively low costs for municipalities. "All it takes is political will," she summarizes.
Encounters that change paths
The intense days in the Amazon also left personal marks. For Bárbara, experiencing the territory—the rivers, the communities, the forest—was an experience that “went beyond the textbooks.” In the field of networking, contact with representatives from more than 30 countries and building bridges with global leaders reinforced her commitment to continue working on climate change.
She highlights significant moments: talking with special envoy Neymar Radji, participating in a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Women alongside young people from various countries, and closely observing the work of figures like Marina Silva and Genebra Verrnek. “Two years ago I looked at this from afar and said, ‘I want to be there.’ And suddenly I was in a room with the minister, building a close relationship,” she concludes.
