Brazil’s Amazon Climate Summit Faces Diplomatic and Logistical Challenges

Brazil, positioning itself as a leader among developing nations, invited global leaders to the Amazon rainforest to highlight approaches to tackling the climate crisis.

However, with less than two months remaining before the conference begins, Brazil is grappling with significant diplomatic complications.

The United States, historically the largest carbon emitter, is expected to have limited participation. Furthermore, the promised billions in financial aid for vulnerable countries facing climate disasters have yet to be delivered. Environmental advocates have criticized Brazil for approving increased oil exploration, casting doubt on its climate commitments.

Calls are intensifying to reform the global climate negotiation framework established by the Paris Agreement a decade ago, as major polluters are not reducing emissions quickly enough to prevent irreversible environmental damage.

Amid these challenges, Brazil has yet to resolve a fundamental logistical issue threatening the upcoming talks: a severe shortage of affordable accommodations in Belém, the host city. Currently, two-thirds of participating countries have not secured lodging.

Ilana Seid, a diplomat representing Palau—a Pacific island nation endangered by rising sea levels—stressed the critical nature of access, stating, “We cannot advance the vital issues affecting our survival if we cannot even get there. It is hard to envision full representation under these conditions.”

An African diplomatic delegation leader revealed that Brazilian officials have suggested some countries consider sharing hotel rooms, a proposal that has been met with resistance from several delegations.