Environmental activists brought the legacy of Brazil’s Mariana dam disaster to the COP30 climate summit, demanding justice and stronger accountability for mining-related environmental damage. The 2015 collapse of the Samarco dam in Mariana, Minas Gerais, killed 19 people and unleashed toxic sludge that contaminated hundreds of kilometers of rivers and communities.

At COP30, campaigners displayed banners and art installations symbolizing the ongoing impact on affected families and ecosystems, urging world leaders to take concrete action on industrial accountability and environmental restoration.