In November, the Amazon city of Belem, Brazil will host COP30, an important climate summit where people from around the world meet to talk about climate change. Activists are excited because this summit is called the “People’s COP.” This means they hope for more freedom to speak and share their views compared to previous years when summits were in places that didn’t allow demonstrations.
However, there are some worries. The cost of places to stay in Belem is very high, and the government is trying to quickly add more beds for the expected 60,000 guests. Right now, there are only 18,000 available. Some of the new options include motels usually meant for couples, ferries on the rivers, and even school classrooms.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants everyone to see how important the Amazon rainforest is for solving climate problems. He believes this summit will help shine a light on its struggles with issues like wildfires and drought.
But activists are concerned that such a big event could harm the area and that too high hotel prices could keep people from coming. Even basic hotel rooms are expensive, costing around $400 to $1,500 a night.
Lula suggested that if people can’t find a place to sleep, they could just relax outdoors and enjoy the nice weather.
Many experts agree that having access to good accommodation is crucial for the success of the summit. This is where civil society comes in, saying their presence helps put pressure on leaders to make important decisions. They aim to keep advocating for issues like the Loss and Damage Fund, which helps poorer countries cope with the consequences of climate change.
To deal with the hotel shortage, the government has moved the dates for heads of state to arrive a week earlier. Two new hotels are being built, and cruise ships will be used as floating hotels. Local businesses are getting creative, fixing up ferries and using shipping containers to create new places to stay.
Some love motels even advertised rooms for entire country delegations. However, due to high demand, many landlords are jacking up prices for renting homes. Many former tenants are being forced to move out as the landlords want to rent at much higher rates for COP visitors.
In short, Belem is getting ready for a busy month next November, but many challenges, including high costs and a housing shortage, need to be addressed.
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