Lula Opens Belém Airport and Port Upgrades as U.S. Skips High-Level Presence at COP30

Overview

• Lula inaugurated a R$450 million expansion of Belém International Airport, doubling annual passenger capacity to roughly 13 million and modernizing terminals and airside systems.
• He also opened the requalified Porto de Outeiro, a R$233 million project that extended the pier to 716 meters and will host cruise ships serving as temporary lodging during the conference.
• The White House confirmed it will not send senior officials to the Leaders’ Summit, with the U.S. expected to be represented only by low-level diplomats, drawing concern about weaker talks and some relief among environmental groups.
• Lula’s pre-COP agenda includes visits to quilombola and indigenous communities in Pará (Nov 2–3) and a trip to Fernando de Noronha (Nov 8–9) to launch a renewable energy project, before the Leaders’ Summit (Nov 6–7) and COP30 (Nov 10–21).
• Organizers report roughly 143–145 delegations and 57 heads of state or government for the leaders’ sessions, with Emmanuel Macron confirmed and Argentina not sending top-level officials, while U.S. subnational leaders and NGOs plan active participation.