The fire disrupted COP30 climate talks in Brazil, as delegates negotiated hard to reach a compromise before they concluded on Friday evening. The site in Belem is closed and will reopen as early as Thursday evening. The delegates were forced to return to their hotel.
This is the third serious incident since the start of a UN conference that began last week in this Brazilian Amazon city. Incursions by indigenous demonstrators, then blocking of entrances, have disrupted a conference held by Brazil with the UN.
The clues “could indicate that this type of incident could occur”
The fire occurred at around 14.00 WIB. (local time, 1700 GMT) in the heart of the temporary site at Parque da Cidade, consisting of large air-conditioned tents. The smoke spread quickly and large flames consumed part of the roof in the national pavilion area, AFP journalists noted. Thirteen people were poisoned, according to organizers.
Agents equipped with fire extinguishers and then firefighters extinguished the fire in six minutes, according to the president of the Brazil and UN Climate conferences. No alarm sounded, so the evacuation of this very large location was carried out by security forces in a certain chaotic situation.
“Operational difficulties before the start of the COP may indicate that an incident of this kind is possible,” a source close to the organization told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“This could happen anywhere in the world,” responded a Brazilian minister
UN Climate Change Chief Simon Stiell expressed complaints in a letter to the Brazilian side at the start of the conference about security issues, air conditioning and water leaks.
“This could happen anywhere in the world,” defended Celso Sabino, Brazil’s Minister of Tourism, who was present at the location. However, some participants reported that the electrical wiring system had caused problems in recent days.
AFP also noted water leaks from the ceiling of his office during daily heavy tropical rain. The cause of the incident is still unknown. The minister said “it might be a short circuit, the phone is charging”.
The losses incurred by these negotiations were enormous
There were “people who were in a state of emotional distress and shock”, testified Kimberly Humphrey, an emergency medicine specialist, who participated in the COP with Doctors for the Environment Australia. The site will not reopen until 8 p.m. (local time, 11 p.m. GMT), the UN said, reporting “limited damage”.
However, the negative impact of these negotiations is very large. The conference leadership in Brazil is already behind schedule and on Thursday is scheduled to publish a draft agreement for the 194 countries and European Union members in the Paris agreement, to be adopted by consensus, which is always a test.
Outside, the frustration of participants hoping to send a strong signal about climate cooperation was palpable. “This will delay the process” even though it is a “crucial moment” where “we have to take a decision,” Windyo Laksono, an Indonesian delegate, told AFP.
Marti Orta, observer and professor at the University of Barcelona, was sorry to see this process come to a halt: “We have to talk about the future of humanity on this planet, there is no point in continuing to talk about these fires,” he said.
Delegates contacted by AFP said they had not heard from the COP30 president. The EU held a coordination meeting via video conference.
Difficult subject
“The situation is unstable. We expect news from the presidency this afternoon, this is complicated for them, they need to relaunch a clear and clean process,” said a negotiator from a developed country.
One of the most difficult topics is the idea of creating a “roadmap” to exit oil, coal and gas, which are largely responsible for warming, when the topic seems impossible to revive.
Brazilian President Lula himself has been talking about this since the start of the summit and brought it up again on Wednesday during his visit. But according to a negotiator who did not want to be named, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Russia strongly opposed it during consultations before the fire.
