Beyond COP-30: Climate justice and sociobiodiversity as pathways for sustainable development in the Pan-Amazon

The hosting of COP-30 in Belém in November 2025 represents a historic moment for the Pan-Amazon. However, the challenges facing the region extend far beyond global climate negotiations. This Young Scholars Initiative (YSI) workshop aims to bring together young researchers to debate concrete pathways of climate justice and sociobiodiversity financing as sustainable development strategies. Selected papers will be published in a book or special issue of an academic journal.

Objectives

1. Articulate critical perspectives on climate justice and sociobiodiversity in the Amazon
2. Promote dialogue among young researchers from the Amazon region
3. Produce applied knowledge for post-COP public policies

Thematic Areas

Axis 1: Climate Justice and Intersectionalities: This axis addresses the dimensions of race, gender, and class in Amazonian climate policies from the perspective of traditional territorial knowledge. We seek contributions analyzing how indigenous, quilombola, riverine, and peripheral communities are differentially affected by climate change, exploring distributive conflicts and participation in decision-making processes.

Axis 2: Financing Sociobiodiversity: This axis examines financial mechanisms for valuing Amazonian sociobiodiversity. We expect analyses on rural credit, climate funds, payments for environmental services, forest product chains, bioeconomy, and the role of development banks, international cooperation, and public finance in funding alternatives to extractivism.

Contribution Format:

• Length: 3,000 characters (excluding figures, tables, and references)
• Font: Times New Roman 12
• Spacing: Single
• Authorship: Exactly two authors, with at least one mandatory from the Amazon region
• Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, or English

Submission: Submit your complete paper by March 2, 2026 to: development@youngscholarsinitiative.org and include title, abstract (150 words), keywords, thematic axis, affiliation, and brief author biographies.

Organizers:

João Braga, University College London; Arnaldo Neto, Young Scholars Initiative; Pedro Castro, Science Panel for the Amazon; Vinícius Meireles, Federal University of Pará; Vitor Ferraz, Federal University of Pará; Jamile Ribeiro, Federal University of Pará; Sarah Brandão, Young Scholars Initiative; Juliana Brandão, Young Scholars Initiative

Timeline:

• March 2, 2026: Deadline for first draft submission
• March 16, 2026: Notification of paper acceptance and conference participation
• March 30, 2026: YSI Workshop at UFPA and creation of peer review pairs
• May 4, 2026: Deadline for review submission
• July 1, 2026: Deadline for final text submission
• November 2026: Publication of collection in book, journal, or event to be discussed