Photo Credit: UNFCCC @ COP30 in Belém, Brazil
The tropical air isn’t just setting the scene — it’s underscoring the urgency of the talks. Delegates arrive flanked by rainforest and river, with laptop bags, damp shirts and a growing sense that this COP isn’t about future promises — it’s about now.
In the plenary, António Guterres warned that 1.5 °C is a “red line for humanity”. Around him, the Amazon loomed — not just a backdrop, but a frontline. In the sweaty, steamy corridors — where the UNFCCC had warned against formalwear, but failed to mention that our clothes might become a second skin — the mood was one of realistic optimism. “We’ve heard the big phrases — now we’re living them,” one negotiator noted.
Two threads dominated early talk:
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Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility aims to compensate countries for preserving their forests. It’s a shift from punishment to incentive — and people are watching to see if finance firms step up.
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Accommodation woes are already straining tempers. Housing is expensive, inequitable and in some cases still uncertain. Delegates from lower-income nations risk being sidelined, not by policy but by hotel shortages.
And then there’s the debit card drama. With the conference going fully cashless, delegates were told to use preloaded cards — only to find they’d run out. Hunger and long queues are the unintended consequences.
Add to that the canvas roof that sings (loudly) in the rain. The media centre ground to a halt as tropical storms turned the elegant design into a sonic boom. It’s almost poetic — ambition drowned out by infrastructure.
Absent too: much of the US media, save for The New York Times and AP. Their silence stands in stark contrast to the vibrant energy emanating from Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Despite the sweat and snags, Day One delivered a tone of urgent potential. Lula urged unity. The corridors buzzed with cautious hope. This could be the COP that delivers more than declarations.
Stay tuned.
