Belém, Brazil, is gearing up to host one of the world’s most important climate gatherings, but the Amazon gateway city faces serious environmental challenges of its own. From November 10-21, more than 50,000 visitors will descend on this historic river city for COP30, the annual United Nations climate summit that environmentalists are calling the “forest COP.”

The choice of Belém brought hope to climate advocates after previous summits in oil-rich Dubai and Baku. Located at the mouth of the Amazon delta, the capital of Pará state offers a powerful symbol – a chance to spotlight the rainforest that scientists say is crucial for limiting global warming to 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement. Visitors will experience the city’s striking contrasts: colorful fish markets, açai stands brimming with rainforest produce, and Belle Epoque mansions standing alongside modern towers and sprawling slums.

However, Belém’s role as climate host comes with bitter irony. Once a thriving river city, Belém has gradually turned away from its waterways over decades of development. This disconnect from its natural foundations has left a devastating legacy: 40% of the urban area now sits vulnerable to flooding. As world leaders gather to discuss global climate solutions, they’ll be meeting in a city that exemplifies how urban planning decisions can amplify climate risks.

The upcoming summit presents both opportunity and challenge – will COP30 inspire real action on forest protection while highlighting the urgent need for climate adaptation in vulnerable cities like Belém itself?