THEANSWERISUS
COP 2025 + 2026: Our Demands
As the world gathers for COP30 in the Amazon (2025) and subsequent climate negotiations (2026), we, the Australian contingent of "The Answer Is Us" campaign, stand in solidarity with global Indigenous movements to demand climate justice. Our demands are rooted in ancestral knowledge and supported by science:
LAND RIGHTS = CLIMATE ACTION
Territory is life, climate, and future. Without agrarian reform, demarcation, titling, land regularization, immediate removal of intruders, and comprehensive protection, there will be no forests or ecosystems essential to prevent the climate collapse. Protecting territories means protecting all life on the planet.
ZERO DEFORESTATION
Deforestation is one of the world’s largest sources of carbon emissions. It destroys ecosystems that regulate the global climate and threatens the people who live off and for the land. Halting this destruction is an urgent priority for everyone fighting for climate justice—wherever they may be.
NO TO FOSSIL FUELS! NO TO MINING IN OUR TERRITORIES!
Fossil fuels—oil, gas, and coal—are the main cause of the global climate crisis. This billion-dollar industry must be dismantled. We reject mining and energy transition projects that exploit territories and violate lives. We demand a just, sovereign transition that puts life above profit.
PROTECT DEFENDERS! PROTECT OUR WAYS OF LIFE!
No more violence, silencing, and impunity. Those who protect the land, water, forests, and climate need full protection—now. No climate policy will be fair as long as there is violence against those who protect the territories. Justice and accountability now!
DIRECT ACCESS TO CLIMATE FINANCE
Resources to tackle the climate crisis must go directly to those on the front lines: people living in forests, waters, rural areas, and cities. No more colonial bureaucracy or intermediaries who are unfamiliar with the territories. Climate funding must go directly to the territorial funds of the peoples.
PARTICIPATION WITH REAL POWER
COP30 will be held in the Amazon. We demand a dignified, permanent presence with real power in decision-making. We will not accept playing the part of extras in a stage that decides the fate of the climate—and our lives—far away from us. Climate justice is built with real participation, not behind closed doors.
The Movement
A call from Country to the world
The campaign "The Answer Is Us" shares a vital message from First Nations communities globally – a collective call from Country to the world for climate and life.
Across the globe, Indigenous peoples are uniting under one message: the answer is us — the guardians, the healers, the knowledge keepers. We, the peoples of the forests, waters, countryside, and cities, from the Amazon to the Pacific, in every corner of the planet—know that the time to act is NOW.
Here in Australia, our First Nations peoples bring voices of fire, water, and Country — grounding this global movement in truth-telling and sovereignty. Join us as we stand with Indigenous leaders and communities to amplify their wisdom and drive meaningful change for our shared future.
“Dear friends, much pain has been endured in the past, and that pain is no longer designated to hopelessness. It’s time to move the process of reconciliation forward with a little more speed. That is the task. If not now, when? If not us, who?”
— Faith Bandler, Indigenous activist
Country Speaks
The land remembers.
The rivers remember. The land breathes. Every gust of wind carries stories older than memory. Country speaks through flood and fire, through the pulse beneath our feet.
For too long, decisions about the future have ignored the oldest systems of care — the ecological law of balance that our ancestors lived by.
Now, as the world faces collapse, those old laws are being heard again. Scientists call it climate action. We call it listening to Country.
Youth Rise
We are the generation that refuses silence.
From remote communities to city streets, Indigenous youth are leading — in art, protest, science, and song.
We inherit fire and water, not fear. We are not the leaders of tomorrow; we are the protectors of today.
Through The Answer Is Us, young people across Australia are connecting with global Indigenous movements, sharing tactics, songs, and stories — creating a network of resilience that no border can contain.
Every story shared adds another spark to the digital fire that burns across the world.
🌏 Share your story. Tag #TheAnswerIsUs
Knowledge Keeps
Ancient knowledge, future science.
Fire is medicine. Water is memory. The patterns of stars and tides tell us how to heal Country.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge is not history — it is technology. The controlled burns that protected this continent for millennia, the seasonal calendars guided by constellations, the language of plants and soils — these are the living sciences of survival.
When we restore Indigenous land management, we don’t only reduce carbon — we restore connection, dignity, and balance.
Visual idea: Overlay scroll animation of smoke lines forming constellations.
Defend What We Love
Love is resistance.
When Country is under threat, defending it is an act of love.
Our people have always stood between extractive greed and the living systems that sustain us all. We’ve faced bulldozers, pipelines, and policies — and we’ve sung, danced, and built community through it all.
This section will feature ongoing stories from:
- Wangan and Jagalingou cultural custody of Adani lands
- Torres Strait climate litigation
- Kimberley and Northern Territory communities resisting gas expansion
- Youth Climate Network stories from the Pacific
Each struggle, each stand, is part of a single truth: defending what we love is defending life.
We Are the Answer
Together, we build the future.
This campaign isn’t asking for permission — it’s building power. It’s a declaration of unity between all peoples who protect land, water, and life.
From the Amazon to Arnhem Land, the same truth echoes: The answer is us.
We are many Nations, one movement. We are knowledge keepers, artists, activists, carers, scientists. We are the ones the world has been waiting for.
Join the Call for Collaboration & Movement
Add your name. Add your fire. Every signature becomes a glowing ember on the digital map of Country. Watch it spread — every voice lighting another, until the continent shines with our collective strength.
Together, we are creating a living record of those who stand for Country, life, and justice.
Add your details to join and collaborate! Sign up to receive updates and find out how you can be part of the movement for Treaty.
Take Action
🌿 Host a Circle
Gather your friends, mob, or community to talk about Country and climate justice. Register your event here.
💬 Share a Story
Submit a photo, video, or written story to appear in the national mosaic of Country voices.
💰 Donate to Community-led Climate Projects
100% of funds go to Indigenous-run restoration and protection programs.
📦 Download the Campaign Kit
Posters, share graphics, and AR filters for rallies and classrooms.
Global Connection
When one forest burns, all forests grieve. When one people stand, all people rise.
Across continents, we share one pulse — the fight for life itself.
Watch, listen, and connect with movements from Brazil, West Papua, and Africa. Their stories are our stories; their hope is our hope.