Brazil Stands Firm on COP30 in Belém Amid Growing Accommodation Chaos

By: Olalekan Abudu

A swampy Amazon city, steel skyscrapers, and now… a logistical nightmare? Don’t expect compromises. Here’s the deal: Brazilian organizers insist COP30 will stay put in Belém. A document, leaked to reportersroom, reveals they’ve dismissed calls to switch venues, arguing enough beds exist—if you count cruise ships, Airbnbs, and motels.

So here’s the deal: COP30 is still going down in Belém. Brazil isn’t budging. Yeah, there’s a bit of a mess with where everyone’s gonna sleep — or how they’re gonna pay for it — but the Brazilians sent a message loud and clear. “No Plan B,” they said. Bolded it, even. Like, really wanted to make sure folks got the point.

Thing is, some countries were getting nervous. Like, really worried the cost would shut out poorer nations. And who could blame them? Some rooms on the official site are going for like $300 a night. One guy even found a “love motel” charging nearly 30 times the normal rate. Yikes.

Brazil’s answer? “Market forces, baby.” They’re not stepping in to slash prices. But they did count up around 53,000 beds. Some in hotels, some on Airbnb, some even on cruise ships. Yep. Cruise ships. Real creative, right?

And for the smaller nations? There’s a limited number of cheaper rooms — 15 per country, max. Not much. Everyone else? Ten rooms, at prices that can go up to $600. Yeah, that’s a lot.

They’re even rolling out warships on the river to guard the cruise ships. Just another part of the show. Airport’s been upgraded too, with extra flights and cooler AC. But nope, can’t touch airline prices. That’s the law.

Oh, and the leaders’ summit? It’s moving up — before the main event. Trying to spread folks out, ease the chaos. Whether that works? TBD. But Brazil’s made one thing clear: Belém or nothing.