Brazil Scrambles as Few Nations Commit to COP30 Climate Summit
(Poder360) ― With the COP30 climate summit just two months away, Brazilian officials are facing lackluster attendance, with only 68 of a potential 198 national delegations having confirmed and paid for lodging in this Amazonian port city.
The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which has staked significant political capital on hosting the November event, confirmed the low numbers and said another 46 delegations remain “in talks.” The figure represents a small fraction of the 198 signatories to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change expected to participate.
A primary deterrent, officials say, is price gouging for accommodations in Belém, which has prompted some countries to ask for the conference to be moved. Nightly hotel rates have been advertised for $1,200 to $47,600.
“Countries have indeed expressed publicly that the issue of hotel prices is a concern,” said Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, who is leading the COP30 presidency. He noted that nightly rates are up to 10 times higher than normal, compared with increases of two to three times seen at past COPs. The situation has caused particular indignation among developing nations, he added.
Because Brazilian law does not permit price controls, the government is left to negotiate with the hotel industry.
The low commitment has prompted the federal government to launch an emergency task force to reverse the trend. The group, which includes the COP30 presidency, the Ministry of Tourism, and the government of Pará state, is providing “individualized attention” to delegations still on the fence.
In a public letter last week, the COP30 presidency acknowledged the “logistical challenges” and called on “CEOs, investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs to roll up their sleeves” and join the event.
“Going to Belém is an opportunity to roll up your sleeves, listen, learn and join the collaborative spirit of the Global Mutirão (working bee),” Mr. Corrêa do Lago wrote. “These critical dialogues must happen not just where it is easy, but especially where it matters most.”
To entice participation, Brazil on Sept. 1 began offering free electronic visas to all foreign nationals, a policy previously limited to citizens of the U.S., Canada and Australia. “The initiative reinforces the Brazilian government’s commitment to ensuring everyone has the effective means to participate,” said Valter Correia, the extraordinary secretary for COP30.
The government has also earmarked 172 million reais ($34.4 million) for emergency hotel renovations and is offering subsidized rooms at $100 to $200 a night for less-developed nations, in an attempt to stem an exodus of delegations essential to negotiations.
The lodging crunch is acute in the capital of Pará state. Belém has a total of 53,000 available beds for an event expecting 50,000 people, but that figure includes 27,000 in Airbnb-style rentals, a modality generally unsuitable for official delegations. The city and its metropolitan area offer just 14,547 beds in traditional hotels, according to the Ministry of Tourism. To supplement capacity, two cruise ships with a combined 6,000 beds are scheduled to arrive five days before the event.
Confirmed attendees so far include Japan, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Singapore. The Tourism Ministry said these nations negotiated directly with hotel chains and booking platforms.
This article, originally published in Portuguese by Poder360 on Sept. 4, was translated and republished by Caixin Global under a mutual content-sharing arrangement.
Contact editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)
caixinglobal.com is the English-language online news portal of Chinese financial and business news media group Caixin. Global Neighbours is authorized to reprint this article.
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