COP30
Blaze in Belém casts negotiations into uncertainty
A video taken on Thursday at the COP30 climate talks in Belém, Brazil.
The irony was palpable. On the penultimate day of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in the Amazonian city of Belém — a summit dedicated to curbing the planet's rising temperatures — the host venue itself caught fire, symbolically derailing talks already beginning to fall behind schedule, and exposing structural and diplomatic flaws.
The fire started on Thursday afternoon inside the COP30’s Blue Zone, specifically near the East African Community pavilion. Flames quickly spread to the venue’s ceiling, sparking a mass evacuation of delegates and journalists. Authorities cited multiple hypotheses for the blaze, including…
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