The United Nations climate bureau has convened an urgent meeting to address concerns about the cost of accommodation at the upcoming Cop30 summit in Brazil, which may hinder poorer countries from participating in the negotiations. Brazil is set to host the event in November in Belém, a rainforest city, where representatives from almost every government worldwide will convene to discuss efforts to combat the climate crisis. However, concerns over logistics have marred the meeting’s preparations due to rising accommodation costs, which are exacerbated by a room shortage.
In a recent gathering of the UN’s Cop bureau, Brazil’s representatives agreed to address these concerns and provide a report by August 11th. African countries emphasized the importance of finding affordable accommodation solutions and refused any plans to cut down their delegation.
Despite critics questioning Brazil’s decision to host the summit in a smaller city rather than a larger urban center, Brazil has been working to increase available hotel beds from 18,000 to 45,000 to accommodate the expected attendees. The government secured two cruise ships for 6,000 extra beds and offered lower-daily rates for developing countries. Nonetheless, developed countries expect much higher accommodation fees, which sparked complaints from various nations.
The Brazilian President’s previous suggestion for critics to “sleep under the stars” further added to the controversy surrounding the meeting’s preparation.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/30/un-emergency-talks-sky-high-accommodation-costs-cop30-brazil
