The COP30 Presidency and the UN Climate Secretariat are “currently working together to finalize plans for the resumption of COP activities, which will focus on negotiations, once the site has been thoroughly assessed and deemed completely safe by fire and health authorities.” Cop30 organizers in Belem communicated this to climate conference participants following the fires that caused the evacuation of the Blue zone. “We currently anticipate that any meetings that may be held this evening, taking into account a thorough assessment of health and safety conditions, will be dedicated to continuing and completing consultations with groups disrupted by the fires,” the text reads. “We anticipate there will be no plenary activities tonight and will clearly ensure that tomorrow’s plenary activities are open to all parties and observers and broadcast live.”
Fire emergency at Cop30
FIRE POINT
Delegates in suits and ties, representatives of indigenous communities in feathered headdresses and traditional clothing, even an activist dressed as Santa Claus and another in the form of a polar bear. A fire broke out at the UN climate conference pavilion in Belem and various Cop30 members side by side in evacuation. It was around two o’clock when a large fire appeared in the blue zone, not far from the Italian pavilion, sparked by a generator failure or short circuit in the stand, according to the technical team, which immediately intervened. “Burning! Burning!”, someone shouted as the news spread through the long corridor. Some thought it was just a joke, a crowd of photographers and journalists ran towards the location of the fire and had to be driven away by the police. The sirens of fire trucks and ambulances sounded.
Fire emergency at Cop30
The situation was back under control within half an hour and Brazil’s Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, made a reassuring statement among the evacuees: “the fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters, there were no injuries”. “Merz was right”, one commented, recalling the controversy between Lula and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who stated that no German delegation wanted to stay in Belem. But Sabino dismissed the controversy and said that fires “can occur in any major event on the planet. The people of Belem can no longer tolerate this kind of prejudice.”
Fire emergency at Cop30
The country has a painful history of fires, starting with the Kiss nightclub tragedy in Santa Maria in 2013, which killed at least 232 people. The threat from the Vermelho Command (CV), one of the main criminal groups in the country, also hangs over the COP, according to documents from the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, cited by Globo, which will affect work on the power grid that powers the conference. It is not yet known when the conference may resume, only about 24 hours after its expected official conclusion. Historically, COPs often take extra time to reach an agreement, but Brazil’s presidency is aiming to get it done on time and has sought a first political agreement on Wednesday. At the end of his unannounced visit, despite returning to Brasilia empty-handed, President Lula said he was “confident” that negotiators “will obtain the best results that the COP can offer to planet Earth.” “I am very happy – he told CNN – that one day I will convince the president of the United States (a person who was largely absent in Belem, ed.) that the climate problem is a serious one and that environmentally friendly development is necessary”.
Fire emergency at Cop30
The news of the last few hours is the European agreement regarding the energy transition roadmap proposal and forest and ecosystem protection submitted to the Brazilian COP president which must be evaluated. To date, all EU member states except Italy and Poland have joined the initiative promoted by more than 80 countries, but this text will bring everyone to terms. Minister of the Environment. The European proposal “encourages all Parties to accelerate the implementation of global efforts” in a “nationally determined manner, reflecting the shared but differentiated responsibilities and capacities of each, given different national conditions, to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”. He also requested that every year the COP presidency prepare a report summarizing the progress of the roadmap. “This has not been accepted”, stressed the Italian Minister of the Environment, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, “when the Brazilian proposal document arrives, each country will evaluate it and we will evaluate it at EU level”.
Fire emergency at Cop30
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a call to negotiators to make efforts “in good faith and flexibility to reach an ambitious compromise”. “The 1.5 degree target must be your only red line. Be bold. Follow the science. Put people before profit,” he said, urging a deal that is “fair, concrete on funding adaptation, credible on reducing emissions,
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