On the first day of COP30, which started on Monday (10), a storm caused disruption in the Belém region. The rain flooded some areas of the UN climate summit, such as the corridor connecting the state pavilions to the dining area.
The same thing happened on the sidewalk leading to the bus stops outside Parque da Cidade, the main headquarters of the event.
While COP police mobility agents prevented participants from passing, they said it was not possible to pass through the pond. “Welcome to Belém,” said one customer upon hearing the complaint about the flooding.
There were also problems in covered areas. At a press conference around 3 p.m., UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi complained that he could not hear journalists’ questions because of the noise of the rain. The space made up of tents cannot block the sound of storms.
The opening of the conference was also marked by long queues at food places. The report noted that people eat while sitting on the floor due to the lack of chairs in the Blue Zone, which is the official summit space.
Some pavilions, as the platforms of countries and entities participating in COP30 are called, were still under construction on Monday. Many places had electronic equipment, such as televisions, inside boxes. In other cases, assembly of the structure itself was underway.
State wards reported technical problems in the morning and early afternoon. The space where countries hold lectures and presentations has been left without electricity in some outlets.
Therefore, some events had to be held without a microphone and without the use of projectors, which made it difficult for attendees to follow the discussions.
Air conditioning had problems too. To ease the heat, fan prizes were competed for on the first day of the event. the Bound Many participants recorded using the supplement to mitigate indoor temperatures.
fire
At the end of the morning, a fire inside Belém International Airport reached an area where materials used to renovate the place were located, according to the Pará Military Fire Department. Videos showing flames and a large cloud of black smoke were circulated on social media.
According to the fire department, the fire was under control and rescue teams worked at the scene to prevent the fire from spreading.
Norte da Amazonia Airports (NOA), the airport’s concessionaire, said it “immediately activated the Airport Rescue and Firefighting Service (SESCINC) and the Military Fire Department after identifying a fire in the vicinity of the passenger terminal.”
According to NOA, the fire occurred in an area that is part of the airport complex and the causes are being investigated. He added: “The situation was brought under control quickly, without any danger to people and without any impact on airport operations.”
Traffic congestion and protests
In Parque da Cidade, the headquarters of the COP30, the early afternoon was marked by slow traffic and several areas experienced traffic jams in the surrounding area. Drivers comment that traffic in Belem has moments of congestion, but nothing like what they saw on the first day of the conference.
A group of activists from the South American Caravan, which brings together representatives of indigenous peoples from Mexico and several Latin American countries, organized a protest in front of the COP30 headquarters.
With shouts of order and banners raised, demonstrators called for more space for indigenous voices in climate negotiations and criticized what they described as empty rhetoric at the conference.
The protest featured some participants lying in front of a COP30 banner to simulate corpses, drawing the attention of masses of participants who arrived on the first day of the event.
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