Irony strikes COP30: Floods hit summit venue in Brazil; US skips crucial climate talks

In a stark reminder of looming threats of changing weather patterns, the venue of the 30th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, got disrupted on its opening day (Nov 10) by heavy downpour in many parts of the city, including Praque da Cidade, one of the major conference venues for the summit. The press centre was also among the affected areas. Videos of the flooding were widely shared and became a point of discussion.

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Social media was abuzz with irony of the situation, with several users saying that a conference to address the climate crisis got disrupted by extreme weather.

The climate conference brought together 50,000 participants from more than 190 countries, including diplomats, policymakers, and climate experts, for the 11-day event in the Amazon region. However, the absence of leaders from major polluter countries, including the United States, China and India, raised doubts on the success of the summit. While New Delhi and Beijing sent their representatives, Washington, under President Donald Trump, decided to boycott the summit altogether.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed world leaders for failing to limit rising global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius, calling it a "moral failure and negligence". He warned that a temporary breach of the limit would have "dramatic consequences". He could push ecosystems past catastrophic tipping points, pushing billions to unlivable conditions and amplifying threats to peace and security.

Addressing the opening session of the COP30 summit, Guterres said, “Too many corporations are making record profits from climate devastation, with billions spent on lobbying, deceiving the public, and obstructing progress,” he said. “Too many leaders remain captive to these entrenched interests.”

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Directly speaking to heads of state from more than 30 countries present at the summit, Guterres warned, "We can choose to lead or be led to ruin."