In The Heart Of The Amazon

The conference was a journey across multiple roles as an engineer, climate finance professional, youth advocate, and representative of one of the most climate-vulnerable nations on Earth.

- Engineer Shah Adnan Mahmood

The Amazon has a way of reminding you of scale. Its rivers stretch endlessly, its forests breathe with an ancient rhythm, and its air carries the weight of stories older than nations. When COP30 convened in Belém, that scale became more than a backdrop; it became a message. The world gathered at the edge of one of the planet’s most vital ecosystems, not as tourists or observers, but as policymakers, scientists, activists, and negotiators confronting a crisis that grows more urgent with each passing year. And as a Party Delegate from Bangladesh, a nation molded by rivers and threatened by rising seas, I felt the weight of that urgency deeply.

Unlike previous climate conferences held in sterile convention halls far from the landscapes they seek to protect, COP30 unfolded in the cradle of the Amazon. That alone shaped the tone of the event. Every conversation on adaptation or mitigation felt connected to the pulsing green expanse surrounding us. The presence of Indigenous communities, whose cultures are interwoven with the rainforest, brought a grounded clarity to discussions that can often feel abstract. Their voices, alongside scientists and youth leaders, set a moral compass that was difficult for any delegation to ignore.

Negotiations at COP30 followed the familiar rhythm of global climate diplomacy; constructive but cautious, aspirational yet constrained by political and economic realities. Still, there was a renewed intensity this time. The world had come face-to-face with escalating climate disasters, and the symbolism of the Amazon made complacency feel inappropriate, even irresponsible. While countries reaffirmed their commitment to scaling up renewable energy and strengthening global adaptation frameworks, progress was neither as swift nor as comprehensive as the moment demands.