As the UN climate talks approach in Brazil, many countries are concerned that they will not be able to cover the costs of participation.
The United Nations will provide additional financial support to low-income countries to enable them to attend the climate summit, due to rising accommodation costs for the “2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP30” to be held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21.
Brazil has been resisting calls for months to move the conference from Belém, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has shown no intention of backing down from his pledge to showcase the Amazon rainforest to the world at COP30.
According to a statement released by the Brazilian COP30 presidency, the allowance for 144 developing countries has been increased from $144 to $197. The allowance applies to two or three delegates per country, totalling 374 delegates. The decision was announced on Wednesday at the third meeting between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Brazilian representatives to discuss how to alleviate the acute accommodation crisis caused by hotels charging 10 to 15 times their normal rates during the conference period.
National delegations, activists and other participants are struggling to find affordable accommodation until November, with some deciding not to attend at all.
According to a spokesperson for the conference chair, with less than two months to go before this year’s Conference of the Parties, or COP30, only 36 per cent of the 196 participating countries have confirmed their attendance and paid their accommodation fees. Activists and poor countries are struggling due to soaring hotel prices, and even private homes and other temporary accommodation options are charging at least several hundred dollars per night.
The Brazilian government chose Belém because it is part of the Amazon and to highlight the common problems of growing cities in developing countries, but some potential participants are questioning how productive the talks will be, overshadowed by the large drop in attendance.
The Brazilian government has taken steps to address this issue. Climate Minister Marina Silva stated that 10 to 20 rooms have been prepared at ‘affordable prices’ for vulnerable countries. The government has also brought two large passenger ships to the region, capable of accommodating up to 6,000 people. At a recent press conference, Silva said, ‘Everyone will have the opportunity to attend COP30. The fight against climate change must be undertaken by all of us, all parties to the agreement, and especially those who are already experiencing the consequences of climate change.’
However, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell sent a letter to UN agencies and related organisations on 9 September, asking them to review how many people they would send to COP30 and to reduce this number if possible. Another development adding to the pressure was the construction workers’ strike that began on 15 September, which also affected the areas where preparations for COP30 were being made.
Evans Njewa, the Malawian official chairing the Least Developed Countries Group on Climate Change, stated that a ‘significant number of negotiators’ from more than 40 member countries “may not attend the meeting or may only stay in Brazil for a few days” due to accommodation issues, but added that countries were still evaluating their options.
Ilana Seid chairs the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which comprises 39 small island and coastal developing countries. Seid, who hails from the Pacific island nation of Palau, said she was ‘disappointed and concerned’ with the level of progress on conference logistics for the group, given the major threats posed by rising sea levels and ocean temperatures in her country.
Some developed countries are also pulling back. One cited room constraints and the need to keep costs under control for taxpayers. Dutch Minister for Climate Policy and Green Growth Sophie Hermans also said the Netherlands would attend COP30, but with a smaller delegation than last year, adding:
“We are going there for a major issue, a very important issue: climate and energy. However, we must also consider the costs, because in the Netherlands and worldwide, it is crucial to know the costs and who will pay for them to secure public support.”
According to experts, if poor countries reduce their delegations, COP30, designed to draw attention to inequality in the Amazon region, could ironically become less inclusive than previous COPs held in more glamorous centres such as Dubai. And this could also affect the course of the negotiations.
Sending large delegations ensures that countries have a representative at each of the numerous tables where negotiations take place simultaneously during the meeting.
Jake Schmidt, senior strategic director for international climate at the Natural Resources Defence Council in Washington, DC, said that part of getting your message across at COP involves “Bilateral, side meetings with countries to advance certain issues. Small delegations cannot do that.”