Belém And Its Challenges Await COP30

As the UN climate summit nears, the host city of Belém struggles with the daily realities of the Amazon.

- Bruno Abbud

At 2 p.m. on a sweltering May afternoon, the air at the famous Praзa do Relygio is thick with heat, humidity, and the familiar rhythms of carimby music pulsing from a vendor's speaker. Vultures soar above this downtown area near the iconic Ver-o-Peso market, as a construction worker, drenched in sweat, operates a power saw. Its sharp whine pierces through the sounds of the crowd, serving as a visceral reminder: The global climate summit, known as COP30, is approaching.

With just five months to go before the United Nations Climate Change Conference opens in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, Belém is a city in transformation. Dust clouds hover over roads torn up for repaving. Sidewalks are being redone, and cranes dot the skyline. Since the announcement in December 2023 that Belém would host COP30, state and federal authorities, public banks, and companies, including mining giant Vale, have launched 38 infrastructure projects totaling over $1.3 billion, according to local media.

At one construction site near the port, workers labor under the sweltering sun. “We're about 200 now, but they’re hiring. Another 500 should be arriving soon,” Ricardo Brito, 42, told AQ. Brito was installing handrails and improving the pavement for passengers who would disembark there during COP30. He works for the construction company Pinheiro Sereni Engenharia, which was contracted for COP30-related projects. Not all of them are on formal contracts. “When this is over, we'll be back on the job hunt,” added his colleague Dorivaldo da Silva, 48. Still, they expressed pride in being part of a transformation they hope will leave a legacy beyond the summit.