World runs out of excuses as UN's 30th climate conference kicks off in the Amazon

UTIOUS OPTIMISM

- SOUMYA SARKAR @Belém (Brazil)

IN Belém, the tropical rain drifts in from the river and settles over a city of fishing boats and mango trees. The quiet streets of the city, known in Brazil as the Amazon’s capital, will over the next two weeks be a microcosm of the world as nearly 200 national delegations arrive for COP30, the UN’s 30th climate conference. The Amazon’s gateway city will once again find itself at the centre of a global reckoning.