🌍 COP30 Climate Summit – Accommodation Crisis (Belem, Brazil)
🔹 Context
- COP30 (UN Climate Conference) will be hosted in Belem, Brazil in November 2025.
- Expected attendance: ~45,000 delegates from across the world.
- Belem’s limited infrastructure (only ~18,000 hotel beds) has led to exorbitant hotel prices, triggering global concern.
🔹 What Happened?
- UNFCCC COP Bureau held an emergency meeting (July 29, 2025)to address:
- Sky-high accommodation costs (quotes up to $700/night).
- Affordability concerns raised by both rich and poor nations.
- Risk of reduced representation from developing countries, especially African nations.
🔹 India & Developing Nations’ Concerns
- Developing nations(like India and African nations) may face:
- Inability to afford expensive hotels.
- Pressure to limit delegation sizes, which weakens their negotiating power.
- UN’s subsistence allowance for Belem is only $149/day, much lower than hotel quotes.
🔹 Brazil’s Measures
- Two cruise ships arranged to provide 6,000 extra beds.
- Offered capped daily rates of up to $220 to developing countries.
- Promised to review and respond in the next COP Bureau meet on August 11, 2025.
🔹 Wider Implications
- Equity in global climate negotiations questioned.
- Potential diplomatic fallout if participation is reduced.
- Infrastructure and planning gaps in hosting large-scale climate summits in Global South nations.
🔹 Key UPSC Pointers
- COP30 ➤ Brazil ➤ Belem City ➤ Nov 2025
- UNFCCC ➤ Emergency Meeting ➤ July 29, 2025
- $700/night vs UN Allowance $149
- India, Netherlands, Poland may trim delegations
- Cruise Ship Hotels = 6,000 beds
🕒 Source: The Hindu | Updated on: July 30, 2025 – 08:54 AM IST – Brussels
