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COP30 IN BELÉM:

highlighting the Amazon’s role

in the global climate agenda

Hosting COP30 in the Brazilian Amazon brings renewed

attention to the region’s environmental importance and the
opportunity to connect climate action with development and

resilience efforts in a complex and dynamic territory

Jéssica Teijido de Melo and Helena Marinho Ketzer Yacoub, lawyers at Rolim, Goulart, Cardoso

THE CHOICE OF BELÉM, CAPITAL OF THE STATE OF PARÁ, AS HOST CITY FOR COP30 IS SYMBOLICALLY
POWERFUL. IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THE WORLD’S LARGEST CLIMATE CONFERENCE TAKES PLACE IN THE
BRAZILIAN AMAZON – A REGION ESSENTIAL TO GLOBAL CLIMATE STABILITY, YET HISTORICALLY MARKED BY
CHALLENGES IN INFRASTRUCTURE, BASIC SERVICES AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT. BY BRINGING COP30
TO THE HEART OF THE RAINFOREST, BRAZIL PLACES THE AMAZON AT THE CENTER OF THE GLOBAL CLIMATE
DEBATE AND HIGHLIGHTS INTERNAL REGIONAL CONTRASTS.

Brazil is a country of deep inequalities. While the to land-use change and illegal deforestation.
Southeast and South concentrate most of the In 2024, the Amazon suffered significantly from
population, industry and economic activity, the climate-related events. Severe drought, intensified
North – home to the Amazon – is vast, sparsely by El Niño, contributed to widespread fires: 2.4
populated and faces persistent development million hectares destroyed, releasing over 31
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challenges. Access to healthcare, education, million metric tons of CO2e - nearly equivalent to
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transportation and sanitation remains limited, and Norway’s annual emissions. Once a major carbon
these disparities were clearly reflected in Brazil’s sink, the Amazon emitted more carbon than it
2022 national census disparities. 1,2,3 absorbed in 2024. 7
Environmental pressures add complexity to this This ecological degradation directly affects
picture. The North accounts for the largest share local populations who depend on the forest
4
of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions, largely due for food, water and income. Limited access

Rolim Goulart Cardoso is a leading Brazilian law firm
specializing in energy, infrastructure, environmental,
and regulatory matters. With offices across the country,
the firm combines legal accuracy with technical
depth, offering multidisciplinary solutions to complex
challenges while maintaining a strong commitment to
ethics, sustainability, and client-focused service.

www.rolim.com

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