The road to COP30

As planning gains momentum for COP30 in Belém, Brazil on 10th – 21st November, we’ll be providing a monthly update in our Purpose and Sustainability newsletter, covering the latest developments.

Earlier in February, the COP30 website went live which will provide news and practical information provided by the incoming Brazil presidency. It includes a video message discussing the prospects for the conference from Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, and the newly announced President of COP30, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago. They give an optimistic message, that Belém will deliver a “strong outcome that signals to the world that multilateralism works and the Paris Agreement is working.”  It’s a bold ambition when the US has just pulled out of the Paris Agreement again and many countries are falling behind on their climate targets or setting targets that are too weak to make a dent in emissions.

The presentation of the video and website contrasts hugely from that of Baku (which didn’t even have a website this time last year). There is a diverse range of content already coming through, and a huge emphasis on the legacy of the Conference in terms of infrastructure investments and benefits for local communities. 

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Belém in the state of Pará this month to see construction works underway.  He said, “I chose Belém and Pará because I am aware of the transformations that cities undergo when they host major international events,”  recalling the infrastructure upgrades that benefited the 12 cities that hosted the 2014 World Cup. “I visited Barcelona, ​​which hosted the 1992 Olympics, and I began to see the transformation that the city underwent. I wondered: why can't Brazil host these international events?”

The Federal Government in Pará is estimated to be investing BRL 4.8 billion into COP preparations. This includes the construction and renovation of structures such as the Ver-o-Peso Market, the São Brás Market and the São Joaquim Linear Park. There is also the adaptation of the Belém Air Base, the Doca Linear Park, as well as work on the canal, basic sanitation, and the City Park [Parque da Cidade], where the conference will take place. At Porto Futuro II, five warehouses are being renovated and transformed into a leisure and gastronomy complex.

President Lula and the COP organisers are clearly keen to convey that all planning is on track for the event, but there are concerns about the city’s ability to accommodate the 50,000 or so attendees and VIPs or have the airport infrastructure to get them in. Hotel rooms are drying up, and there are reports that room rates are spiralling wildly with a 15-day stay during the conference costing over £180,000.

The COP website says there will be…"accommodation options to suit different budgets during COP30. [With] a variety of lodging options, including hotels, apartments, and vacation rental homes in condominiums. During the Conference, cruise ship cabins will also be available, as the vessels will remain anchored in the region.” So perhaps in time, the supply will catch up with demand, meanwhile there is much work to be done!