Host city Belém gets investment for COP 30
Three agreements involving the federal government, the state of Pará, and the city of Belém, which will host the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP 30, were signed on Monday (May 6) in a ceremony at the Planalto presidential palace. They include investments adding up to over BRL 1.3 billion in city improvements ahead of the event.
The agreements
Of the total funds covered in the three agreements, most (some BRL 1 billion) will be invested in modernizing Belém’s roads and setting up the Doca Linear Park. Measures have also been planned for sanitation—like the construction of 50 kilometers of sewage collection system, the paving of roads to the COP 30 site, and the installation of traffic control equipment.
Enio Verri, the Brazilian director-general of the Itaipu Binacional dam, talked about the first deal signed during the ceremony, which outlines investment in Belém’s infrastructure. He said the agreement will represent “the legacy” to be left by the company and the federal government for the capital of Pará as well as for Brazil. He recalled that among the binational company’s duties is to provide affordable, high-quality energy, “in line with the principles of environmental sustainability” and in favor of social development.
Park, market, and biotech
The second accord, signed with Belém’s city hall, earmarks BRL 323.5 million for the implementation of the Igarapé São Joaquim Urban Park, as well as the renovation and revitalization of the Ver-o-Peso Complex—one of Brazil's oldest markets—and the restoration of the São Brás Municipal Market downtown.
Finally, a BRL 41.8 million deal was signed on the development of a methodology for solid waste management, environmental education efforts, and innovation in biotechnology.
A COP for the forests
In the view of the Brazilian president’s chief of staff Rui Costa, COP 30 will be an opportunity for the world to reflect on how to prevent extreme climate effects. That, he said, was President Lula’s objective when he announced Brazil’s interest in promoting COP 30 and Belém as the venue for the conference.
“A place surrounded by large and important rivers, a forest and a biosystem that is absolutely vital for the planet,” he said, in reference to Belém.
Pará Governor Hélder Barbalho pointed out that local climatic events—such as what is happening in Rio Grande do Sul—have stemmed from environmental problems originated from other regions, including those far from the country. This reinforces the need to care for the environment as a global concern, mobilizing nations worldwide.
“We are making a call to the world that the Forest COP will be a new moment for solutions having the forest at their very core—not just [for the world] to point the finger and tell us what our responsibilities are, but to build solutions with us for the preservation of the environment, introducing a new economic activity based on nature,” Governor Barbalho declared.
COP 30
The 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is scheduled for November 2025. It will be the first time that the Amazon, a key biome in the fight against climate change, will host a COP.
The conference brings together world leaders every year to debate solutions to curb global warming and create sustainable alternatives for life on the planet.
