Construction & Housing

Housing & Construction Some Of COP30's Biggest Obstacles

Belém is an old city, so there are concerns about whether they can actually host the delegations of one hundred countries and all of the non-governmental agencies as is, whether it be when it comes to housing those who attend or how visitors will move around the city. Hosting the event in the Amazon is undoubtedly a symbolic gesture, but there are many concerns about how the city is preparing for the event and the possibility of it exacerbating some of the problems that the current residents are facing on a daily basis. With all of the projects that have been started, it is uncertain whether the city will have enough time to finish them before the deadline coming up so soon, and most importantly, if they'll be able to do so while ensuring that the environment is not harmed. 

Semi-Permanent Construction

Half of the people living in the metropolitan area of Belém (roughly 1,131,268 people) are living in subhuman/abnormal housing conditions, commonly called clusters, without access to essential services such as water, electricity, sewage, and basic first aid [1].

Local authorities have been planning to renovate one of the largest stilt slums in Brazil, called Vila Barca, but despite claims of not abandoning the residents in that area, the project has been on hold for fifteen years. However, the same authorities have built luxury apartments in the next neighborhood over, using land owned by the Navy, which following the local law, should not have been able to happen [2].

The city of Belém is located in the floodplain of the southern branch of the Amazon Delta-Estuary (ADE), on the edge of the Guajará Bay and the Guáma river mouth. With about 40% of the city sitting below sea level, most of the population experiences severe flooding when high tides coincide with heavy rainfall. On top of that, since most of the river channels have degraded over time and the riverbanks are now being occupied, the city's susceptibility to flooding has increased by a drastic degree [3].

Renovations Possibly Doing More Harm Than Good

To prepare for COP30, Belém has focused on eight "priority projects" to make the experience more pleasant for the organizations and government entities who attend the conference. However, utilizing urban building techniques that involve more concrete than greenery contributes to intensifying urban heat islands (UHI), which results in hotter temperatures in urban areas [4][5]. As Belém has the highest urban population density and third highest urban household density, intensifying UHI's poses itself as one of the largest threats to the city's population [6].

Though there are plenty of resources for these projects, supplied by the mining company Vale, few of the projects have yet to make any actual progress. It appears that the city park has made the most headway and Porto Futuro II should be completed on time, but many of the large canals that cut through Belém have been untouched and left many of the residents homeless after being flooded by heavy rain [7].

While hosting an event about improving its sustainability, Belém still plans to creep into indigenous territory so it can expand on its railways and highways, projects that require more damage to be done to the rainforest despite the "many benefits" the authorities claim it will bring [8].

Investments Might Not Leave The "COP30 Polygon"

Even with all of these expansion and renovation projects in the city's plans, Antônio Abelém believes that the investments into the event won't leave the "COP30 Polygon," a small urban area of 11.5 square miles between the historic center and international airport where the event will take place. As a result of preparations to ensure guests don't leave the polygon, some believe that little change is likely to happen outside that area of concentration [7]. Funnily enough, the polygon sections off a portion of the city that is a far cry from being the "gold standard" for environmental practices, seeing that close to twenty-five percent of the capital's residents did not have drinking water in their homes and eighty-three percent of the residents across the city do not have basic sanitation [9]. 

Potential Job Opportunities

Despite all the problems that these projects bring to the table, Belém has the opportunity to provide its residents with job opportunities, whether it be assisting in the construction, cleaning up the areas outside of the COP30 Polygon, and implementing better infrastructure into the surrounding city. Seeing that many of the projects have yet to make any meaningful progress and may not finish before the event, it might be in the city's best interest to divert some of the funds meant for them in order to make an impact on the communities outside of the polygon. What good is it to put on a show for the world to prove how sustainable you are, only to turn your backs on the communities that will be most affected by the climate crisis after the event ends?

Learn more about the challenges and opportunities COP 30 presents for Belém using the tabs below!