Brazil’s efforts to host a high-impact climate summit in the Amazon are facing significant challenges, with fewer than 60 world leaders confirmed to attend the two-day prelude event ahead of the main COP30 conference. Brazil’s chief negotiator, Mauricio Lyrio, confirmed that only 57 heads of state and government had committed to attending the summit in Belém (November 6–7), a marked decrease from the 75 leaders who attended COP29 in 2024. This low turnout is being blamed on severe logistical and domestic challenges surrounding the remote Amazonian host city.
The primary deterrent is a drastic shortage of traditional hotel rooms in Belém for the estimated 50,000 delegates, which has led to skyrocketing accommodation prices. Nightly rates have been advertised up to 10 times higher than usual, prompting some governments and the United Nations itself to limit their delegations. Organizers have resorted to converting universities, private homes, and docking two cruise ships to provide lodging, but environmental groups warn the expense is making COP30 the “most exclusionary in history,” hitting developing nations particularly hard.Adding to the complexity are diplomatic challenges, as major global players remain unconfirmed. The United States and Argentina, led by climate skeptics, have not announced who they will send, if anyone, while China is sending its Vice Premier, Ding Xuexiang, instead of President Xi Jinping. This global political turmoil threatens to overshadow the climate emergency, even as Brazil’s President Lula da Silva insists the conference must take place in the Amazon to spotlight the forest’s crucial role in global climate action.
