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The Brazilian government has responded to growing concerns over accommodation for participants of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP30, set to take place this November in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, in the city of Belém.
Valter Correia, Brazil’s special secretary for the summit, stated that nearly 30,000 rooms have already been identified in the city. While this surpasses the 20,000 rooms the UN initially deemed necessary, it still falls short of the 45,000 attendees Brazil had projected earlier this year.
“Our key commitment is to ensure that everyone can participate at accessible prices,” Correia told journalists. He stressed that it would be unacceptable for small island states and developing nations – often the hardest hit by climate change – to be excluded due to high costs.
Correia added that, in the coming months, additional accommodation would be made available through private homes, hotel rooms, and temporary facilities such as repurposed schools, in order to meet further demand.
The government has already launched a booking platform offering 1,500 rooms, priced between $100 and $220 per night, specifically for representatives from 98 developing countries and island nations. An additional 1,000 rooms will be added shortly, open to all delegations, with prices reaching up to $600 per night. The platform will later be made available to the general public.
Moreover, Brazil has signed contracts for two cruise ships, which will be docked in the port of Belém during the summit, offering a further 3,900 cabins as alternative accommodation.
By hosting COP30, Brazil aims not only to contribute to global climate discussions but also to draw international attention to the rapid deforestation of the world’s tropical rainforests.
It is worth noting that in recent months, environmental activists and civil society groups have raised alarms over limited lodging options and soaring prices in Belém. Correia acknowledged these concerns and noted that the government is actively working to prevent price gouging. However, he admitted that it would not be possible to offer low-cost accommodation for everyone.
Firefighters were clearing the charred ruins of a Karachi shopping mall in Pakistan on Tuesday (20 January) as they searched for people still missing after a fire that burned for nearly two days and killed at least 67 people, police said.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has an "armada" heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Türkiye opposes any form of foreign intervention in Iran, as protests and economic pressures continue to fuel tensions in the Islamic republic.
Trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. entered a second day in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, following an initial round of talks described by officials as productive.
Iran will treat any military attack as an “all-out war,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, as the United States moves additional naval and air assets into the Middle East amid rising tensions.
Several people, including children, were reported missing in New Zealand's north island on Thursday after a landslide struck a coastal campsite amid heavy rain that caused evacuations of people to safety, road closures and widespread power outages.
At least four people were killed on Tuesday as floods swept across Tunisia during the worst torrential rain for more than 70 years in some regions, and there were fears the death toll could rise, authorities said.
The world has already entered an era of global water bankruptcy, with irreversible damage to rivers, aquifers, lakes and glaciers pushing billions of people into long-term water insecurity, according to a major United Nations report released on Tuesday.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of country on Sunday as raging wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 19 people dead.
A landmark global treaty to safeguard biodiversity in the high seas came into effect on Saturday, providing countries with a legally binding framework to tackle threats and meet a target to protect 30% of the ocean environment by 2030.
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