⏳ Countdown for COP

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the Brazil Climate newsletter! This week, we’re talking about the current state of investments and works to prepare the city of Belém, in the Amazon, to receive the global climate event. 

If you have any questions about this newsletter, or topics you’d like to see covered in future issues, you can reach our deputy editor Euan Marshall at [email protected]

The remaining hurdles before hosting a COP in the Amazon

With fewer than 300 days to go until the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), a UN delegation traveled to the Amazonian state of Pará, in northern Brazil, to assess the city of Belém’s readiness to host the event scheduled for November.

COP is the largest of the UN’s global summits, and its 2025 edition is expected to draw roughly 50,000 attendees.

This year’s edition carries two notable distinctions. 

After three consecutive conferences in authoritarian-led nations — Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan — COP30 will unfold in a democratic country, likely encouraging a strong presence of activists and civil society groups.

It will also mark the first time a global climate summit is held in the Amazon, a biome central to the fight against climate change. Beyond a symbolic gesture, the choice of venue offers an opportunity for indigenous communities and other local groups to take center stage in discussions that have long shaped their existence.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government hopes to use the high-profile event to reclaim Brazil’s standing as a leader in environmental diplomacy. But the country’s recent track record presents a challenge.

🌳 Brazil Climate