BELÉM, (TDI): At Belem’s bustling market, Sandra da Costa serves a bowl of acai with fried fish to a customer before eagerly sharing her excitement about the city’s long-awaited transformation.
“Finally, the renovation is happening,” she says, reflecting the anticipation sweeping through the northern Brazilian city as it prepares to host COP30, the first United Nations climate conference in the Amazon, scheduled for November.
With 200 workers laboring around the clock, the largest open-air market in Latin America symbolizes Belem’s efforts to meet the demands of the global event.
Yet, the city of 1.3 million, crisscrossed by canals, faces significant challenges, including deep social inequality and insufficient infrastructure for the 60,000 delegates expected to attend.
Infrastructure Overhaul
Belem is undergoing record public investment, restoring monuments, repurposing abandoned port warehouses into leisure zones, and dredging the river bay to accommodate two cruise ships to expand lodging options. Two new hotels are also under construction.
“The COP30 will be a turning point for the city and the Amazon,” says Mayor Igor Normando, 37, who views the event as an opportunity to highlight the region’s challenges and advocate for global support.
Speaking from atop the historic Forte do Presépio, Normando says, “The world will learn the challenges of the Amazonian people, and see that there is nothing fairer than helping us.”
The Stakes for the Amazon
The Amazon rainforest, critical to combating climate change, increasingly bears the brunt of its effects, with more frequent fires and droughts.
Experts view the UN conference, scheduled for November 10-21, as a pivotal moment to secure global commitments to reduce emissions and preserve the forest.
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Preparations are underway at Parque da Cidade, a former airfield now transformed into a green space for COP30 events alongside a convention center for official negotiations.
The site integrates references to nature and Indigenous culture, with native flora like rubber trees being planted and plans for a new lake.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has championed the Amazon’s importance, famously suggesting in 2023 that some COP30 meetings might even take place “under the canopy of a tree.”
A City of Contrasts
While Belem gears up to welcome world leaders and delegates, stark inequalities persist.
“Belem is two cities: the one everyone will see, including heads of state; and another that is invisible,” says historian Michel Pinho.
In Vila da Barca, a stilt neighborhood plagued by poor sanitation, boatman Max Moraes voices skepticism. “Where is the money for COP30 going? To help the population?” he asks, sitting on a wooden walkway above polluted waters.
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The neighborhood, founded a century ago by fishermen, now battles real estate speculation while community leaders fight to preserve their way of life.
Urban Amazon Voices
“Our daily struggle is real,” says Inez Medeiros, a 37-year-old teacher and social leader from Vila da Barca. “We want the COP30 to consider us because we also live in the Amazon, even if it’s an urban Amazon.”
Amid these challenges, progress is evident. After decades of delays, the city recently delivered 100 social housing units, offering some families a reprieve. Medeiros sees each victory as motivation to continue advocating for her community.
Her next goal: launching a small floating hotel to host COP30 participants and provide them with an unfiltered view of Belem, “beyond the spotlight.”
As the city races to balance global expectations with local realities, COP30 promises to be a defining moment for Belem and the Amazon’s future.
