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Hotels are a major factor in countries' decision to skip the COP30 climate conference

Hundreds of hotel rooms are in short supply, and prices have risen to hundreds of dollars a night.

Two European nations have said that they are considering not attending Belem at all.

The organisers of COP30 are racing to convert cruise ships, love motels and churches into accommodations for the 45,000 expected delegates.

Brazil held the climate talks in Belem because it has an average of 18,000 hotel rooms available. It hoped that its location at the edge the Amazon rainforest, would draw attention to the threats climate change poses to the ecosystem and its role as a sink for climate warming emissions.

LATVIA SAYS THAT ROOMS ARE EXPENSIVE

The Latvian climate minister said that the country had asked its negotiators if they could dial in via video call.

Melnis stated, "We've already decided that it is too expensive for us." It's the very first time that it is so expensive. "We have a duty to the budget of our country."

Lithuania, a second country in eastern Europe, has also indicated that it will not be staying after receiving quotes for prices exceeding $500 per person, per night.

A Lithuanian energy minister spokesperson, who covers climate issues, stated that the quality and legitimacy of negotiations would be affected if governments were unable to attend due to the cost.

According to a spokesperson for Brazil's COP30 Presidency, the decision is up to each country.

COP30 HOTEL PRICE LEAVES DELEGATES OUT OF POCKET

The website displayed rates ranging from $360 to 4,400 per night, just days after Brazil launched a booking platform at the beginning of August. The platform displayed prices starting at $150 per night this week.

The host country rejected calls to move the summit, saying it would provide 15 hotel rooms at a price of less than $220 per night for each delegation from a developing country and below $600 per night for any wealthy delegation. The United Nations also increased their subsidy for low-income countries to attend.

According to Brazil's Presidency of COP30, less than six weeks before COP30, there are still 81 countries in negotiations about hotel rooms, while 87 have already reserved accommodation.

Evans Njewa is the chair of the Least Developed Countries Group, which represents the poorest countries in the U.N. Climate Talks. He said that the group was still assessing the attendance plans.

Njewa said: "We receive a large volume of concerns... and many requests for assistance." "Unfortunately, our capacity is restricted, which could affect the size and composition of delegations."

CLIMATE ACTION UNDER THREATEN

The COP summit this year takes place as the U.S. president Donald Trump seeks to shift America's focus away from climate change and Europe's priorities are changing due to its struggling economies.

Ilana Seid said that the lack of affordable housing placed her members at "a severe disadvantage". The small island states have taken advantage of previous COPs in order to get more funding for climate change adaptation.

Seid stated that smaller delegations would not allow island nations to "participate effectively in the negotiations that decide our future" because they lack the expertise required.

(source: Reuters)