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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
COP30 Brazil summit faces uncertainty amid global tensions
Expectations have shifted since Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's initial bid three years ago to bring the summit to the Amazon read more Brazil will host the UN climate conference COP30 in November in the Amazonian city of Belem. AFP This year's UN COP30 summit in Brazil is being viewed as an important moment in the global response to climate change, with the world nearing a critical global warming limit. However, the host country has yet to present a leading agenda for the high-stakes talks scheduled for November, prompting concerns about the event's potential impact. Preparations have been affected by ongoing conflicts in several regions and the United States' recent decisions to step back from international collaboration on climate, trade, and health. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Expectations have shifted since Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's initial bid three years ago to bring the summit to the Amazon. A recent UN climate meeting in Germany, which concluded on Thursday, revealed divisions, particularly on financial commitments, raising further questions about the progress that COP30 might achieve. Brazil is a deft climate negotiator, but the 'international context has never been so bad', said Claudio Angelo, of the Brazilian organisation Climate Observatory. Given the stakes, former UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said Brazil may have to make do with 'baby steps'. 'One of the main messages that should be coming out of COP30 is the unity of everyone behind multilateralism and international cooperation. Not achieving that means everybody will suffer,' she told AFP. 'Failure is not an option in this case.' 'Survival' Previous COPs have been judged on the deals clinched between the nearly 200 nations that haggle over two weeks to advance global climate policy. Recent summits have produced landmark outcomes, from a global pledge to transition away from fossil fuels, to the creation of a specialised fund to help countries hit by climate disaster. COP30 CEO Ana Toni said that 'most of the big flashy topics' born out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change had been dealt with. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That leaves Brazil with an arguably harder challenge – trying to ensure what has been agreed is put into practice. Much of the action is set for the COP30 sidelines or before nations arrive in the Amazonian city of Belem. National climate plans due before COP30 from all countries – but most importantly major emitters China, the European Union and India – will be more consequential than this year's negotiations, experts say. It is expected this latest round of national commitments will fall well short of containing global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, and possibly even 2C, the less ambitious of the Paris accord's climate goals. 'I expect that the COP will need to react to that,' said Ana Toni, although what form that reaction would take was 'under question'. Uncertainty about how COP30 will help steer nations towards 1.5C has left the Alliance of Small Island States bloc 'concerned', said lead negotiator Anne Rasmussen. 'Our survival depends on that,' she told AFP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Threat to humanity' How countries will make good on their promise to transition away from fossil fuels may also become a point of contention. Angelo said he hoped Brazil would champion the idea, included in the country's climate plan, of working towards 'schedules' for that transition. But he likened Brazil's auctioning of oil and gas extraction rights near the mouth of the Amazon river this month – just as climate negotiators got down to business in Bonn – to an act of 'sabotage'. Another key priority for Brazil is forest protection, but otherwise COP30 leaders have mostly focused on unfinished business from previous meetings, including fleshing out a goal to build resilience to climate impacts. According to the hosts of last year's hard-fought climate talks, global tensions might not leave room for much else. 'We need to focus more on preserving the legacy that we have established, rather than increasing ambition,' said Yalchin Rafiyev, top climate negotiator for COP29 host Azerbaijan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He fears that trying and failing to do more could risk undermining the whole UN process. Those close to the climate talks concede they can move frustratingly slowly, but insist the annual negotiations remain crucial. 'I don't think there's any other way to address a threat to humanity as big as this is,' Espinosa told AFP.
France 24
a day ago
- Politics
- France 24
Global tensions rattle COP30 build-up but 'failure not an option'
But the hosts are yet to propose a headline ambition for the marathon November talks, raising concerns they could fall flat. The build-up has been overshadowed by devastating conflicts on three continents and the US withdrawal from global cooperation on climate, trade and health. Expectations have dimmed since Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's pitch three years ago to host climate talks in the Amazon. A warm-up UN climate event in Germany that concluded on Thursday saw disputes flare over a range of issues, including finance, adding to anxiety about how much headway COP30 can make. Brazil is a deft climate negotiator, but the "international context has never been so bad", said Claudio Angelo, of the Brazilian organisation Climate Observatory. Given the stakes, former UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said Brazil may have to make do with "baby steps". "One of the main messages that should be coming out of COP30 is the unity of everyone behind multilateralism and international cooperation. Not achieving that means everybody will suffer," she told AFP. "Failure is not an option in this case." - 'Survival' - Previous COPs have been judged on the deals clinched between the nearly 200 nations that haggle over two weeks to advance global climate policy. Recent summits have produced landmark outcomes, from a global pledge to transition away from fossil fuels, to the creation of a specialised fund to help countries hit by climate disaster. COP30 CEO Ana Toni said that "most of the big flashy topics" born out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change had been dealt with. That leaves Brazil with an arguably harder challenge -- trying to ensure what has been agreed is put into practice. Much of the action is set for the COP30 sidelines or before nations arrive in the Amazonian city of Belem. National climate plans due before COP30 from all countries -- but most importantly major emitters China, the European Union and India -- will be more consequential than this year's negotiations, experts say. It is expected this latest round of national commitments will fall well short of containing global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, and possibly even 2C, the less ambitious of the Paris accord's climate goals. "I expect that the COP will need to react to that," said Ana Toni, although what form that reaction would take was "under question". Uncertainty about how COP30 will help steer nations towards 1.5C has left the Alliance of Small Island States bloc "concerned", said lead negotiator Anne Rasmussen. "Our survival depends on that," she told AFP. 'Threat to humanity' How countries will make good on their promise to transition away from fossil fuels may also become a point of contention. Angelo said he hoped Brazil would champion the idea, included in the country's climate plan, of working towards "schedules" for that transition. But he likened Brazil's auctioning of oil and gas extraction rights near the mouth of the Amazon river this month -- just as climate negotiators got down to business in Bonn -- to an act of "sabotage". Another key priority for Brazil is forest protection, but otherwise COP30 leaders have mostly focused on unfinished business from previous meetings, including fleshing out a goal to build resilience to climate impacts. According to the hosts of last year's hard-fought climate talks, global tensions might not leave room for much else. "We need to focus more on preserving the legacy that we have established, rather than increasing ambition," said Yalchin Rafiyev, top climate negotiator for COP29 host Azerbaijan. He fears that trying and failing to do more could risk undermining the whole UN process. Those close to the climate talks concede they can move frustratingly slowly, but insist the annual negotiations remain crucial. © 2025 AFP
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
'Shocking' COP30 Lodging Costs Heap Pressure On Brazil
"Belem is ready," Brazilian officials have insisted ahead of the COP30 gathering in November -- but eye-watering lodging costs in the northern city have panicked many would-be attendees. President President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has personally championed the symbolic choice of holding the major UN climate conference in the Amazon. And with months to go before the November 10-21 meeting, work is in full swing, AFP journalists witnessed recently. But members of national delegations, civil society, and the media have been faced with a major dilemma: how to find a room at a decent price? "I've never seen anything quite like the situation unfolding in Belem. The soaring accommodation prices, which mean it will now cost thousands of dollars a night for even basic rooms," Mariana Paoli, with the NGO Christian Aid, told AFP. The steep rates are "not just shocking, it is exclusionary," said Paoli, a Brazilian who has attended several UN climate summits before. "Delegates from across the Global South, particularly grassroots activists, Indigenous leaders, and civil society groups, already face immense barriers to participation... Now, they're being priced out entirely." In recent months, AFP has seen hotels offering rooms at $1,200 a night. On short-term rental platform Airbnb, some rates were even higher. With a total of 50,000 people expected to attend, Claudio Angelo of the Brazilian Climate Observatory collective warned that delegations are mulling cutting back on the number of attendees. "Everybody's concerned because at this point, five months to the date, everybody should have hotels and no one has," he told AFP in Bonn, Germany, where technical negotiations have been held over the past two weeks. Brazil is no stranger to hosting major events, particularly in Rio de Janeiro. After the 2016 Olympic Games and last year's G20 summit, Rio will host a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies next month. Some have speculated about a possible last-minute move to a large city, maybe Rio. COP30 chief Ana Toni, while sharing concerns over the lodging, ruled out any last-minute relocation to a larger city. "Let's be very very clear, it's all happening in Belem," she told AFP in Bonn. Toni, who also serves as Brazil's national secretary for climate change, said that the government was aware and working on solutions. In response to the emergency, Brazilian authorities are trying to put pressure on the hotel sector. The National Consumer Rights Bureau (Senacon) has summoned the main hotels in Belem for an inquiry into "possible abusive pricing practices," leading to accusations from the sector of "threats." A negotiator from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) said she had received assurances from the COP30 presidency that they would receive assistance with their accommodation. "But we have not received any communication or proposal on how this might work," she said with concern. Several months behind schedule, an official platform offering a total of "29,000 rooms and 55,000 beds" is supposed to go online at the end of June. Nearly half will be short-term rentals (25,000 beds), and participants will even be able to stay "on two cruise ships, with a total of 3,882 cabins and 6,000 beds." Organizers have already sought to ease pressure on Belem by organizing this year's heads of state summit before the actual COP, on November 6 and 7. But Lula, who is seeking to position himself as a climate champion, did not hesitate to respond sarcastically to critics. "If there are no five-star hotels, sleep in a four-star hotel. If there are no four-star hotels, sleep in a three-star hotel. And if not, sleep under the stars," Lula said sarcastically in February during a visit to Belem. As at last year's UN biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, delegates will at least be able to enjoy an unusual option: more than 1,600 beds are available in "motels," establishments usually reserved for romantic trysts and rooms rented by the hour. "We are adapting our establishments to accommodate visitors for overnight stays," said Ricardo Teixeira of the Brazilian Association of Motels for the State of Para. Adapted, but not altered: some rooms will retain pole dancing bars, indoor pools or jacuzzis. In recent months, AFP has seen hotels offering rooms at $1,200 a night AFP With 50,000 people expected to attend, some warn that delegations are mulling cutting back on the number of attendees AFP In response to the emergency, Brazilian authorities are trying to put pressure on the hotel sector AFP
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'Shocking' COP30 lodging costs heap pressure on Brazil's host city Belem
RIO DE JANEIRO: "Belem is ready," Brazilian officials have insisted ahead of the COP30 gathering in November -- but eye-watering lodging costs in the northern city have panicked many would-be attendees. President President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has personally championed the symbolic choice of holding the major UN climate conference in the Amazon. And with months to go before the November 10-21 meeting, work is in full swing, AFP journalists witnessed recently. But members of national delegations, civil society, and the media have been faced with a major dilemma: how to find a room at a decent price? "I've never seen anything quite like the situation unfolding in Belem. The soaring accommodation prices, which mean it will now cost thousands of dollars a night for even basic rooms," Mariana Paoli, with the NGO Christian Aid, told AFP. The steep rates are "not just shocking, it is exclusionary," said Paoli, a Brazilian who has attended several UN climate summits before. "Delegates from across the Global South, particularly grassroots activists, Indigenous leaders, and civil society groups, already face immense barriers to participation... Now, they're being priced out entirely." In recent months, AFP has seen hotels offering rooms at $1,200 a night. On short-term rental platform Airbnb, some rates were even higher. With a total of 50,000 people expected to attend, Claudio Angelo of the Brazilian Climate Observatory collective warned that delegations are mulling cutting back on the number of attendees. "Everybody's concerned because at this point, five months to the date, everybody should have hotels and no one has," he told AFP in Bonn, Germany, where technical negotiations have been held over the past two weeks.
France 24
a day ago
- Business
- France 24
'Shocking' COP30 lodging costs heap pressure on Brazil
President President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has personally championed the symbolic choice of holding the major UN climate conference in the Amazon. And with months to go before the November 10-21 meeting, work is in full swing, AFP journalists witnessed recently. But members of national delegations, civil society, and the media have been faced with a major dilemma: how to find a room at a decent price? "I've never seen anything quite like the situation unfolding in Belem. The soaring accommodation prices, which mean it will now cost thousands of dollars a night for even basic rooms," Mariana Paoli, with the NGO Christian Aid, told AFP. The steep rates are "not just shocking, it is exclusionary," said Paoli, a Brazilian who has attended several UN climate summits before. "Delegates from across the Global South, particularly grassroots activists, Indigenous leaders, and civil society groups, already face immense barriers to participation... Now, they're being priced out entirely." In recent months, AFP has seen hotels offering rooms at $1,200 a night. On short-term rental platform Airbnb, some rates were even higher. With a total of 50,000 people expected to attend, Claudio Angelo of the Brazilian Climate Observatory collective warned that delegations are mulling cutting back on the number of attendees. "Everybody's concerned because at this point, five months to the date, everybody should have hotels and no one has," he told AFP in Bonn, Germany, where technical negotiations have been held over the past two weeks. CEO rules out relocation Brazil is no stranger to hosting major events, particularly in Rio de Janeiro. After the 2016 Olympic Games and last year's G20 summit, Rio will host a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies next month. Some have speculated about a possible last-minute move to a large city, maybe Rio. COP30 chief Ana Toni, while sharing concerns over the lodging, ruled out any last-minute relocation to a larger city. "Let's be very very clear, it's all happening in Belem," she told AFP in Bonn. Toni, who also serves as Brazil's national secretary for climate change, said that the government was aware and working on solutions. In response to the emergency, Brazilian authorities are trying to put pressure on the hotel sector. The National Consumer Rights Bureau (Senacon) has summoned the main hotels in Belem for an inquiry into "possible abusive pricing practices," leading to accusations from the sector of "threats." A negotiator from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) said she had received assurances from the COP30 presidency that they would receive assistance with their accommodation. "But we have not received any communication or proposal on how this might work," she said with concern. Several months behind schedule, an official platform offering a total of "29,000 rooms and 55,000 beds" is supposed to go online at the end of June. Nearly half will be short-term rentals (25,000 beds), and participants will even be able to stay "on two cruise ships, with a total of 3,882 cabins and 6,000 beds." 'Under the stars' Organizers have already sought to ease pressure on Belem by organizing this year's heads of state summit before the actual COP, on November 6 and 7. But Lula, who is seeking to position himself as a climate champion, did not hesitate to respond sarcastically to critics. "If there are no five-star hotels, sleep in a four-star hotel. If there are no four-star hotels, sleep in a three-star hotel. And if not, sleep under the stars," Lula said sarcastically in February during a visit to Belem. As at last year's UN biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, delegates will at least be able to enjoy an unusual option: more than 1,600 beds are available in "motels," establishments usually reserved for romantic trysts and rooms rented by the hour. "We are adapting our establishments to accommodate visitors for overnight stays," said Ricardo Teixeira of the Brazilian Association of Motels for the State of Para. © 2025 AFP
