To avoid climate catastrophe we must reimagine our relationship with nature – and with each other

As I arrived in Belém – the gateway to the Amazon – for COP30, I found myself reflecting on what this moment means, not only for the climate movement, but for humanity. The science tells us we are currently on track for between two and four degrees of warming by the end of the century. The difference between those two numbers is the difference between struggle and catastrophe – between a planet still teeming with life and one where large parts become uninhabitable. Yet beyond the numbers and negotiations, the real question we face is this: how do we mobilise action at scale, fast enough, to change our trajectory?

For me, the answer lies in reimagining our relationship with nature – and with each other. Over the past decade, my activism has evolved through #TOGETHERBAND and our bioeconomy program, which uses regenerative design to create products that directly support Indigenous communities on the frontlines of climate change. These are the guardians of the world’s biodiversity – protecting 80% of the planet’s remaining species – and yet they are often the least resourced and most threatened.

Our approach is simple: build supply chains that sustain life rather than extract it. By co-creating livelihoods with Indigenous artisans – using sustainably sourced materials from the forest – we impact families and wider communities. It’s an economy rooted in reciprocity, creativity and respect. We call this regenerative design – not just sustaining nature, but healing it, while making beautiful products that remind us of our interconnection.

Read more:

• COP30 marks 30 years of COP climate summits. Has it actually made a difference?
• ‘It would be good to know how long we have left’: This clifftop community is falling into the sea
• These scientists felt powerless over the climate crisis – so they decided to do something about it

Our We Are All Forests bands are one such example. Made in partnership with the Yawanawá people from waste açaí seeds, Parley Ocean Plastic thread, and recycled Humanium metal – forged from decommissioned illegal firearms – each one is a symbol of transformation. The açaí seeds represent regeneration, the Parley thread the global fight against ocean plastic, and the Humanium metal a powerful act of turning violence into peace. Together, they form the heartbeat of the We Are All Forests movement – driving tangible impact through circular supply chains while creating cultural and economic resilience for Indigenous peoples and spreading awareness of the challenges they face.

But these bands are also about something bigger: helping those outside of these privileged spaces – who may never travel to the Amazon or walk into a COP summit – to connect, to remember that we are all part of this living web. They are symbols to engage, educate and inspire.

At COP30, this message felt especially vital. For the first time, the world’s biggest climate summit is being hosted in the Amazon – the lungs of our planet and a living classroom for climate solutions. On the same day as our We Are All Forests event at the Entertainment & Culture Pavilion – featuring an incredible panel including Eric Terena, Djuena Tikuna and Leila Salazar-López – Indigenous activists forced their way into the Blue Zone’s main hall to demand urgent action and recognition of their rights. We were just a hundred metres away, unaware at the time that the clashes were unfolding, but united in spirit.

Our session explored the power of art, music and culture to unite communities, mobilise action and protect nature. It ended with a breathtaking acapella performance by Djuena – her voice echoing through the pavilion, carrying centuries of resilience and beauty. It was one of those moments that cut through the noise and brought everyone present back to what this is really about: the protection of life itself.

Because facts alone don’t move people – stories do. Art, music and fashion have the power to reach hearts where policy can’t. They shape the emotional landscape that makes change possible. That’s why I believe culture is climate action. Through movements like We Are All Forests, we can inspire solidarity and a sense of belonging to something greater. We can replace despair with imagination.

This belief also runs through my music. My new album, Simeo, was born from a lifetime of travelling between cultures – from the Amazon rainforest to the mountains of Uganda and the Himalayas. The title, Simeo, is a word I learned in Uganda meaning warmth – not just temperature, but the warmth of humanity: compassion, connection and belonging. It became my compass in a time of uncertainty, reminding me to use creativity as a force for good.

The opening track, “River Flowing”, was written in the Amazon, inspired by the Yawanawá people and their deep spiritual connection to the forest. It’s a song about remembering that we are part of nature, not apart from it. The river, to them, is a living being – a mirror of life’s flow. That song has taken on new meaning for me as the climate crisis deepens. It’s become a meditation on how we can restore balance – in ourselves and our world.

Music, for me, is another form of activism – one that speaks to the soul. Just as regenerative design seeks to heal our systems, music can heal our spirit. When I perform “River Flowing”, I often imagine the river as a thread connecting all of us; from the forests to the cities. It reminds me that no matter where we are, we are all downstream from one another’s actions.

As we look toward the future, I believe the climate movement must be as creative as it is scientific. We need policy and protest, yes – but we also need poetry, rhythm and beauty to remind us what we’re fighting for. We need to cultivate not just sustainability, but solidarity – between North and South, between human and non-human life, between generations. The forest breathes for all of us. It’s time we learned to breathe with it.

Because ultimately, we are all forests – living networks of interdependence and resilience. And just as a forest regenerates after fire, so too can we. Our task is not simply to avoid collapse, but to compose a new harmony – one where people and planet thrive together.

That’s the story I’ll be taking home from COP30: that regeneration isn’t only possible – it’s already happening, in the hands of those who have protected nature for millennia. Our role is to listen, to learn, and to lend our creativity to their cause. The future will not be built by extraction, but by connection.

And if we listen closely enough, we might just hear it already beginning – like a river flowing.

cameronsaul.bandcamp.com/album/simeo

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Change a vendor’s life this Christmas.

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – or support online with a vendor support kit or a subscription – and help people work their way out of poverty with dignity.