Photo Credit: UNFCCC @ COP30 in Belém, Brazil
There’s a rhythm forming beneath the rainforest canopy. Shuttles are (mostly) on time, signage is clearer, and delegates no longer look quite so lost or sweaty.
Inside, the venue hums. Conversations bounce from forests to finance to food security in a single sentence. Gavin Newsom sightings are the hot gossip — was that him by the juice bar, or just another tall delegate with Hollywood hair? With the US federal government absent, his presence — real or rumoured — is fuelling speculation about who will be showing up to lead.
Tech glitches have been mostly patched. Wi-Fi is better, translations are behaving, and the air con continues to freeze everyone into solidarity. Even the media centre is quieter — until the daily Amazonian downpour hammers the canvas roof and drowns out every keyboard in earshot.
The debit card debacle? Still ongoing. Rumour has it that they’ve re-upped stock, but many attendees remain cashless and caffeine-deprived. Enterprising NGOs offering free espresso in exchange for a QR code scan have become minor legends.
Beyond logistics, the atmosphere has shifted to one of hopeful engagement. Day One’s stress has given way to coffee-fuelled chatter, from ministers to students. Indigenous-led circles, surprise musical moments, and a lively Youth Pavilion are turning heads. One brave British delegate tried tacacá, the tongue-numbing Amazonian soup, and lived to evangelise about it.
Accommodation talk remains a favourite COP30 sport. Cruise ship dwellers now boast of breakfast buffets and better shuttle access than those stuck in overpriced hotels. “If I’m going to stress about 1.5°C, at least I’m doing it from a boat with pancakes,” one quipped.
Belém is still humming with contradictions — rainforest urgency meets pop-up pavilions, samba beats echo through climate finance panels. But Day Two proves it’s more than a backdrop. The Amazon is now part of the conversation, loud, lush, and unforgettable.
More tomorrow.
