The United Nations global climate summit, COP30, only delivered modest progress on its campaign to slow global warming. The unintentional symbolism, though, was extraordinary: on Thursday, the convention location itself had to be evacuated after a massive fire broke out.
The event, hosted in Belém, Brazil at the threshold of the Amazon rainforest, was in its second to last day of proceedings when the flames prompted an evacuation, according to Heatmap. In a feat of cosmic irony, the “blue zone” — where only official delegates, journalists, and world leaders were allowed — was forced to evacuate at around 2pm local time.
“We’ve been evacuated due to a fire — not exactly sure how the day is going to continue,” a journalist with Heatmap was told via text.
Video uploaded by the New York Times shows flames billowing out of a long booth, burning a massive hole through the ceiling. In all, 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation, and meetings were delayed until much later Thursday night.
Unlike the “green zone” which was open to the public, all official UN proceedings took place in the blue zone, making the fire a pretty severe setback. Per the NYT, the fire was just one of a handful of disruptions at COP30, coming after food shortages, water leaks, and dizzying heat left the summit attendees reeling.
In all, over 56,000 delegates from some 200 countries had registered to attend the proceedings in-person. Notably absent was any federal delegation from the United States, though state-level governors Gavin Newsom of California and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico were present for at least some of the summit.
As journalist Aayushi Gour reported, COP30 concluded with a “sharp split” over the inclusion of language addressing a transition away from fossil fuels. After Brazil circulated a final draft of the UN climate document with no mention of fossil fuels, a group of 30 countries from Asia, Africa, and Europe issued a rebuke stating they would refuse to support an outcome which ignored the UN’s previous commitments to ending reliance of fossil fuels.
In all, it was a fiery end to a critical summit which left much to be desired — both inside and outside the convention hall.
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