Camille Etienne: l’incroyable projet de rejoindre la COP30 en voilier

On October 5, six radical women will fly to Belém, Brazil to COP30. An extraordinary expedition supported by Amnesty International will also be the subject of video documentaries. Meet Camille Etienne, one of the activists at the helm!

What about the Atlantic Ocean, born with this team, thought about sailing across the voyage?

With the idea for the project, it was Adelaide Charlier (annotation by Brussels climate justice activist, editor). She has crossed Chile to join COP25 for the first time, which was cancelled due to social distress. She worked hard to set up the trip for months and I joined her later. As for the team, it formed naturally, given our complementarity. Time travel will be an opportunity to discover yourself more. Navigation is a powerful human laboratory: no comfort, no sleep, we reveal our true personality. Navigation these weeks will also be an opportunity for in-depth debate, far from a permanent requirement for network and internet connectivity.

Why did you choose a special female crew member?

Women are the first victims of the climate crisis: in a displaced climate, they are overnumbered, suffer more natural disasters, and are widely dismissed. Among police, equality is far from reaching. But these men decide that the consequences of politicians will mainly attack women. In any case, among its media representatives, the sail is also a very masculine environment. Traveling through the female crew is a reversal of this logic, showing that we have all our positions on the ocean, just as in negotiations.

The sea is a free space that a country has not delineated. This is also a space for international solidarity.

Besides symbols, what are your goals for your existence in Bellem?

There are a few. First, we will be present at the top of the people, who are held outside the court of official negotiations. We found activists and local associations there, indigenous peoples…we organized actions to draw attention to key topics, we weave connections and resonate with local votes. We will also try to integrate the blue area and conduct official negotiations in that area. There, the challenge is to gain certification to integrate delegations from our respective countries and to weigh in modestly in the discussion. It is important to represent civil society. In the face of a climate emergency, we can choose the empty chair policy…we decided to show our presence.

You use COP30 as the “Last Opportunity Police”. What made this meeting so important to your eyes?

Because it stands in Brazil, in Bellem. Police are rarely found in countries in the south of the world (Editor’s Note: African countries, Latin America, Asia or Oceania are called “development”), and when they do not cause climate change, they are directly affected by climate change. There, the indigenous population and local militants will be very much there, which is essential: they are the people with the consequences of heating up on the frontline. It was also a policeman: It was obvious that the situation had worsened ten years after the Paris Agreement. After the meeting, the degree continues to rise.

But attending the police is still a barrier.

Yes. It has become a very closed and very expensive event. The hotel prices reach stratosphere heights and sometimes do not even include the budget of the diplomatic delegation. In fact, it is a de facto NGO, activist or the least wealthy country. We will sleep directly on our boat to get around this obstacle, which will be used as a floating hotel.