The Curupira, a legendary character known for protecting the forests with his turned feet and fire hair, was chosen as an official COP30 mascot, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which will take place in Belém (PA), between November 10 and 21.
The symbol reinforces Brazil’s commitment to environmental preservation and aims to popularize the discussion about climate change, bringing the theme closer to new generations through a figure of national folklore.
With roots in the indigenous tradition and first quoted in 1560, Curupira is described as guardian of forests and animals, punishing those who threaten the forest.
The writer Januária Silva, author of the book Curupira And other fantastic beings of Brazilian folklore, points out that legend has a “very strong connection with nature” and fulfills a fundamental educational role. “He does everything he does not violate nature. It’s tracked, it gets ready, but always to defend the forest,” he says.
For the researcher Paulo Maués, author of Curupira Storiesthe presence of the character in the identity of rescues the Amazonian culture and reinforces the environmental awareness between local and visitors.
“Curupira, like other Amazonian legends, are agents of environmental education. They transmit values of respect and belonging to the environment, something that comes from the original peoples and is essential to rethink our relationship with nature,” he explains.
The choice of Curupira also seeks to make COP30 more accessible, especially to children’s audiences. Elaine Oliveira, professor at the University of Amazonia (UNAMA), says that bringing elements of folklore to climate debate is a playful way to teach and sensitize children.
“It is a cultural resistance against the destruction of environmental heritage and the Amazonian immaterial culture. Popular narratives are powerful matrices for reflections on the climate crisis,” he says.
In a letter to the international community, the president of COP30, André Corrêa do Lago, said that the forests will be the central theme of the event and stressed the urgency of actions to curb deforestation.
“When we get together in the Brazilian Amazon, we must hear the most advanced science and reassess the extraordinary role of forests and people who preserve them. If we revert to deforestation and recover what was lost, we can massively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and bring ecosystems back to life,” he wrote.
COP30, called “Cop do Brasil”, marks the ten years of the Paris Agreement, at a crucial time for the planet. The goals to limit global warming to 1.5 ° C have been reviewed at COP29 and the conference in Belém will be decisive to advance in multilateral negotiations.
