Representatives from 25 countries invited to the United Nations’ COP30 climate alarmism summit are pressuring the government of radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to relocate the event out of the city of Belém due to “exorbitant” lodging prices, Brazilian outlets reported on Thursday.
Brazil is slated to host the COP30 summit between November 10-21, in which participating nations will gather to discuss “climate solutions.” Despite the event being centered around “climate change” and other purported environmental causes, reports published in May indicate that thousands of acres of the Amazon Rainforest have been decimated to make way for a new highway to prepare Belém’s traffic routes for the U.N. summit.
Brazilian Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, who holds the country’s COP30 presidency, said during a correspondents’ meeting on Thursday that participating nations are pressuring Brazil to relocate the summit to another city due to high hotel costs.
The diplomat reportedly explained that while in past editions of the COP, hotels charged double or triple the usual rates, in Belém, daily rates are “up to ten times” higher than normal. Since Brazilian law does not allow limits on daily hotel rates, Corrêa do Lago said that the only option they have is to engage in talks with hotel chains.
“There is, in fact, outrage over this insensitivity, especially on the part of developing countries — those with lower levels of relative development — due to the abusive prices being charged,” Corrêa do Lago said.
The left-wing Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo claimed on Thursday to be in possession of a copy of a letter signed by 25 participating countries, “including rich countries,” calling for the Brazilian government to resolve the “exorbitant” hotel costs in Belém. The letter allegedly stressed that, if the matter is not resolved, the event should be hosted in another city.
“[Being able to participate] means being able to travel to Belém, stay in adequate and affordable accommodation, and get to and from the pavilion safely and efficiently in terms of time, including late at night,” the letter reportedly read.
Anonymous people “familiar” with the situation told Folha the countries’ dissatisfaction is mainly with the hotel options, but also includes concerns over logistics in general, security, and transportation. The letter was sent to both the event’s organizers and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Brazil’s Special Secretariat for COP30 confirmed to the outlet that they have received the letter with the concerns, but they have not discussed the issue with other countries.
“There is no possibility that COP30 or part of the conference will take place outside Belém,” the Secretariat told Folha.
According to the outlet G1, two unnamed diplomats presented quotes they received from hotels and property managers in Belém for rates of around $700 per person per night during the days COP30 will run. G1 detailed that officials from six governments, including “wealthier European nations,” reported that they have not yet secured accommodations due to the high prices. Some delegations reportedly indicated that they were preparing to scale back their participation.
A Dutch government spokesperson reportedly said that it may be necessary to reduce that country’s delegation by half compared to recent COP summits; for instance, the Netherlands last sent around 90 people during a two-week event, including envoys, negotiators, and youth representatives.
“We don’t have accommodation. We’ll probably have to cut down the delegation to the bone,” Polish Deputy Climate Minister Krzysztof Bolesta told Reuters this week.
During an emergency meeting this week, Brazil reportedly agreed to address the countries’ lodging, transportation, security, and other concerns and will submit a report on August 11. The COP30 Special Secretariat asserted to Folha, Poder360, and other Brazilian outlets that it is in dialogue with the U.N. to resolve the matter and proposed a detailed accommodation plan, which, at this stage, “prioritizes the accommodation of delegations participating in the official negotiations.”
According to Brazilian outlets, the government’s plan includes 2,500 single rooms available at rates ranging from $100 to $600, with participants deemed as “Least Developed Countries” and “Small Island Developing States” receiving the cheaper $100-200 rooms. All other countries would receive ten rooms with rates ranging from $220 to $600.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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