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Belem’s COP30 Accommodation Crisis Threatens Delegate Participation

Authorities hope a new state-backed booking platform will curb soaring hotel rates that risk barring less-resourced delegates

Delegates huddle during informal consultations on the GGA. Credit: IISD/ENB - Kiara Worth
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The world is fast approaching a key global warming threshold
With 50,000 people expected to attend, some warn that delegations are mulling cutting back on the number of attendees

Overview

  • Multiple developing country and civil society delegations are weighing cuts to their COP30 teams because of dwindling hotel availability and exorbitant prices.
  • Brazil’s National Consumer Rights Bureau has summoned principal Belem hotels to probe potential price gouging after rooms were listed for up to $1,200 a night.
  • An official state-backed platform promising 29,000 rooms and 55,000 beds is due to go live by the end of June but has yet to deliver more affordable options.
  • Preparatory talks in Bonn have been dominated by logistical disputes, risking a derailment of substantive climate policy discussions.
  • Organizers are exploring unconventional lodgings—including cruise ships, motels and repurposed barracks—to fill gaps, though cost and location details remain unresolved.