Eneriza Menaling
This sentence caught my attention because many people here at COP30 are talking about funds. I agree that money is important to help countries build infrastructure and other projects, but it is more important to find real solutions to the climate crisis. This is the biggest problem our planet is facing today.
When our RAOEN team visited the Green Zone where different countries and Indigenous Peoples held their exhibits, I noticed something. Even though the event was about climate change, there were many plastic bottles used for drinking water. Plastics are harmful to the environment because they are made from fossil fuels. What’s worse, some people threw their plastic bottles and cans on the streets.
We should all be aware of how our actions affect the environment, even in small ways. Reducing the use of plastics may seem simple, but it can make a big difference. Conferences about climate change are useless if people do not practice what they learn. Real change starts with small actions that can help reduce the climate crisis.
That is why we should not only talk about funds but also focus on real solutions – even in small ways. We must move forward together, respect one another, and above all, respect and care for our common home, just as it cares for us.
Eneriza Menaling is a RAOEN COP30 indigenous youth delegate from the Pulangiyēn community in Bendum, Malaybalay in Bukidnon, Philippines.
Editor’s Note: For the COP30 event in Belém, Brazil from 10 to 21 November 2025, participants are invited to collect their reusable COP30 water bottle at the Distribution Center for the duration of the event from 08:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs. This is intended to reduce single-use plastic waste within the Blue Zone. However, outside the COP30 venue, the host city of Belém faces many environmental concerns, one of which is waste management and where images have been shared online of numerous plastic bottles and other rubbish floait in the rivers and canals near the COP30 venue.
COP30 does not have specific UN rules on single-use plastics for all participants beyond general sustainability guidelines for the host country. Brazil and Belém will have their own national and local regulations, respectively, that are applicable to COP30. In addition, the UNFCCC published A Handbook for hosting United Nations Climate Change Conferences: How to COP in 2023 that has a section on Sustainable Conferences tackling water, food, waste, and how everything can be made more sustainable.
