Accommodation shortage threatens attendance at COP30 climate summit in Brazil Lithuania, Latvia consider skipping

Dozens of countries are struggling to secure accommodation for next month’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil, with a severe shortage of hotel rooms driving prices to hundreds of dollars per night and forcing some delegations to consider staying away.

Small island states, which are among the most vulnerable to rising sea levels, are reportedly weighing whether to reduce the size of their teams in Belem, while two European nations said they may not attend the talks at all, Caliber.Az reports per Reuters.

Organisers of COP30 are scrambling to address the accommodation crisis by converting love motels, cruise ships, and even churches into temporary lodgings for the expected 45,000 delegates. Belem, located on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, typically offers just 18,000 hotel beds. Brazil selected the city to draw attention to the Amazon’s critical role in absorbing climate-warming emissions and the threats posed by deforestation and global warming.

Latvia’s climate minister told Reuters that the country had asked if its negotiators could participate remotely.

“We already basically have a decision that it's too expensive for us,” Melnis said. “It's the first time it's so expensive. We have a responsibility to our country's budget.”

Lithuania also said it may skip the summit after being quoted rates of over $500 per person per night. A spokesperson for Lithuania’s energy ministry, which oversees climate policy, warned that the high costs could undermine the conference itself.

“The legitimacy and quality of negotiations would suffer if governments could not attend because of the costs,” the spokesperson said.

Brazil’s COP30 presidency stated that attendance decisions rest with individual governments. It has rejected calls to move the summit and pledged to provide 15 rooms priced below $220 per day for each developing country delegation and under $600 for each delegation from wealthier nations. The United Nations has also increased its subsidies to help low-income countries attend.

After Brazil launched an official booking platform in early August, prices ranged from $360 to $4,400 per night. As of this week, the lowest rates have dropped to around $150, according to the platform.

With less than six weeks remaining before the summit, 81 countries are still negotiating for accommodation, while 87 have secured rooms, according to Brazil’s COP30 presidency.

By Sabina Mammadli