On 17^th November 2025 at COP 30 we were reminded by health professionals from Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) that fossil fuel pollution causes 1 in 5 deaths worldwide: 8 million deaths in 2018 alone. They highlighted the connection between fossil fuel pollution and both human health and they were present for showing that a fossil fuel phase out will save millions of lives.

The lungs symbolize the damage of fossil fuels inflict on human health. These lungs have a dual symbolism, representing the Amazon rainforest, “the lungs of the planet Earth”, which is also under threat from fossil fuel extraction and fossil fuel which caused climate change. Breathing pure air is a fundamental human need essential for health and survival, is our collective human right for our collective health. The installation of lungs in COP 30 served as a powerful visual reminder that clean air and a safe climate depend on phasing out fossil fuels and investing in new renewable energies.

The sentence “the lungs of the world are in your hands” is a powerful metaphor, not a literal statement about your hands holding the world's lungs. It's a modern adaptation of the spiritual “He's Got the Whole World” Psalm 24:1-2. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands (Christian song of kids), and it highlights that humans are responsible for the well-being of the planet's forests, which are often called “the lungs of the world” for providing oxygen. This means that the voice of the Church and other faith groups plays an important role because faith brings a moral and spiritual dimension that politics alone cannot provide. That sentence is used to encourage environmental stewardship and the idea that collective human action can protect the environment including the Amazonia forest. The phrase “The lungs of the world are in your hands, COP 30” refers to a symbolic action and the overall theme of the COP 30 conference in Belém, Brazil, which mention the critical importance of the Amazon rainforest. The lungs of the world are a metaphor for the Amazon rainforest, a massive carbon is absorbed for climate stability. The lungs of the world which along with other forests, absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, helping to regulate the climate. The “hands” represent the responsibility of policymakers, established leaders, activists, and individuals at COP 30 and all over the world to protect it by transitioning away from fossil fuels and addressing climate change. 

Our beloved Amazon, as Pope Francis Pope Francis, the initiator of both Laudato Si in 2015 and Laudate Deum in 2023 called it, is our hope, it is the lungs of the earth and for Latin Americans this COP 30 carries an enormous symbolic meaning. It is the chance for our people to be seen and to be heard, and also to remind other regions of the world that climate justice is not only about negotiations but about life’s territories and cultures that are under threat.