In just under a year from now, the world will turn to Belém, Brazil, a city on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest, for the COP30 United Nations climate summit. For many conservationists and diplomats, the hope is that the setting will inspire authorities to finally lead breakthroughs in the Paris Agreement and keep climate change under some degree of control. While hosting the summit in an Amazonian city carries significant political and symbolic weight, the location also underscores contradictions. As the global spotlight shines on Belém, visitors and the world will be exposed to the Amazon’s stark contradictions. They will witness the region’s breathtaking beauty and crucial role in mitigating climate change. However, the city chosen to champion environmental action is grappling with unsustainable development projects to host the event. This collision of ambition and reality will underscore the ongoing struggle between conservation efforts and the relentless pressures of economic development, land grabbing, and illegal activities that threaten the rainforest’s delicate ecosystem. For the past two years, the Amazon experienced consecutive extreme droughts, with 2024 being exceptionally severe, leaving major rivers at record lows. These phenomena reflect a combination of factors, including deforestation, climate change, and natural variability. The droughts have had cascading effects on local communities, disrupting transportation, fishing, and access to clean water. A dry riverbed during the 2024 Amazon’s extreme drought. Image © Nilmar Lage / Greenpeace. Adding to the crisis, fire outbreaks, many suspected to be criminal, have consumed an area of the rainforest larger…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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