Luxury and Squalor Collide as COP30 Delegates Convene in Belem

As the COP30 climate summit kicks off in Belem, Brazil, the city's stark contrasts are on full display. While delegates from around the world, including over 200 from the UK, convene to discuss environmental issues, the reality just outside their luxury accommodations paints a very different picture.

Belem, the gateway to the Amazon, is struggling with significant challenges, including homelessness, poor sanitation, and pollution. Dozens of plastic bottles and other waste float along the city's rivers and canals, just minutes away from the COP30 venue. In the city's poorer neighborhoods, indigenous groups and other homeless individuals seek shade under delivery trucks, as trees were cut down for COP30-related construction projects, leaving little natural cover.

The irony is not lost on the locals, who have criticized the choice of Belem as the host city, citing its poor infrastructure and accessibility issues. A report found that 55% of Belem's inhabitants live on streets without a single tree, compared to a national average of 34% in Brazil.

The COP30 delegates, however, remain largely shielded from these realities. The lucky ones, such as Net Zero minister Ed Miliband, are staying in Belem's only five-star hotel, the Tivoli, where rooms cost £1,250 per night during the two-week summit. Meanwhile, just a few miles away, famished children can be seen rummaging through piles of rubbish in search of food.

As the world's leaders gather to discuss climate change and sustainability, the juxtaposition of their luxurious accommodations and the harsh living conditions of Belem's residents serves as a stark reminder of the inequalities that often accompany such global events.