The 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) will take place in Belém, Pará, from 10 to 21 November 2025 — marking the first time the global summit is hosted in the Amazon region.
For business travellers, this year’s COP represents both a logistical challenge and a symbolic milestone. With deforestation, indigenous rights, and biodiversity conservation at the heart of discussions, COP30 is expected to redefine the intersection between climate policy, corporate sustainability and responsible investment.
Belém — a gateway to the Amazon delta — is bracing for an influx of more than 70,000 delegates, putting severe strain on the city’s limited infrastructure.
Belém’s Val-de-Cans International Airport is already facing capacity challenges, with ramp congestion and limited runway availability expected to worsen during COP30. Several delegations are planning to reroute flights via Manaus or São Luís, connecting onwards by regional charter or domestic service.
Hotel availability is proving the summit’s biggest obstacle. Room rates have surged, with premium hotels charging up to £3,600 per night. To ease pressure, the Brazilian government is converting cruise ships, schools and sports centres into temporary accommodation, though affordable options remain scarce.
Many organisations are relocating side events to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, or maintaining a hybrid presence in Belém with reduced in-person teams. Remote participation and digital pavilions will play a far larger role than at previous summits.
COP30 arrives at a moment of heightened urgency. Global temperatures are edging close to the 1.5°C warming limit, and pressure is mounting on businesses to turn pledges into measurable action.
For corporate leaders and sustainability officers, Belém will be a stage for credible decarbonisation strategies, transparent reporting, and proof of progress, not just promises.
Key themes shaping the business agenda
1. Climate finance and accountability – Stronger frameworks for funding adaptation and mitigation, particularly in developing economies.
2. Technology and innovation – Scaling AI, renewable energy systems, and carbon capture technologies to accelerate transition pathways.
3. Supply chain resilience – Integrating biodiversity protection and ESG compliance across multinational operations.
4. Greenwashing and transparency – Increasing regulatory scrutiny and third-party verification to ensure climate claims are verifiable.
5. Nature-based solutions – A new emphasis on forest preservation, reforestation, and sustainable land use within the Amazon basin.
“COP30 isn’t just another climate summit,” said Dr. Maria Esteves, a sustainability strategist based in São Paulo. “It’s a referendum on whether business can genuinely align with planetary boundaries. The Amazon is a fitting, if unforgiving, backdrop for that reckoning.”
Businesses attending COP30 should anticipate higher operational expenses, from travel and lodging to carbon offsets and compliance-related costs.
Event organisers are encouraging attendees to offset travel emissions, use electric or biofuel-powered transport, and reduce plastic waste across pavilions and hospitality zones. Corporate sponsors are expected to demonstrate how their climate claims translate into tangible emissions reductions, not marketing narratives.
For many firms, the Amazon setting represents an opportunity to connect brand commitments to visible impact, whether through partnerships on reforestation, indigenous-led conservation, or carbon credit innovation.
Practical travel advice for COP30 delegates
•Book early: Flights and accommodation in Belém are already scarce; secure logistics before mid-2025.
• Consider alternative bases: São Paulo or Rio offer easier access, reliable connectivity, and more robust hospitality options.
• Engage locally: Partner with Brazilian NGOs and sustainability networks for regional insights and logistics support.
• Prioritise security and health: Delegates should ensure vaccinations are up to date and avoid travel through unregistered transport providers.
• Connectivity matters: Expect limited high-speed internet and patchy mobile coverage outside the main conference zones.
For business travellers, COP30 in Belém is more than a summit — it’s a litmus test of credibility. With global scrutiny intensifying and investor expectations rising, the Amazon edition of COP will challenge companies to back sustainability rhetoric with evidence, data and innovation.
While logistical hurdles loom large, so too does opportunity: to forge partnerships, shape green policy, and influence the next phase of global climate action.
As one delegate from a UK energy major put it:
“If COP28 was about ambition, and COP29 about financing, COP30 will be about proof — proof that business can deliver real-world decarbonisation.”