Government of Pará defends COP30 legacy at international climate event
Governor Helder Barbalho reaffirms the strategic role of the Amazon in building sustainable global solutions to face climate challenges
The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, reaffirmed on Thursday (24) the State's commitment to prepare the capital to host the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in November. During his participation in the Global Citizen Now Amazônia event held in Belém, he also highlighted the importance of the transformative legacy that the international event leaves for the host city.
Helder Barbalho stated that Pará is experiencing a new cycle. “We are building, from Belém, a new paradigm for sustainable development. The living forest needs to be valued more than the felled forest. This is what the COP must deliver to our people,” he declared.
The governor assured that all structural works planned for the city are on schedule. “By November, Belém will be ready for citizens and for the world. The COP is an opportunity to position the Amazon at the center of global decisions, but also to solve historical challenges of the city,” he pointed out.
Structural investments drive transformations in Belém
Helder Barbalho highlighted the unprecedented volume of investments in infrastructure, focusing on sanitation, macro-drainage, urban mobility, and professional qualification. “There has never been such a strategic volume of investments in the history of the capital. Belém is now a construction site, and this is a sign of transformation,” he stated.
The governor also advocated for a change in the land use model in the State, with the expansion of sustainable production chains. “We want to intensify production in already used areas, expand crops like cocoa and açaí, and generate jobs based on nature-based solutions,” he explained.
Sustainability must be social, environmental, and economic
Speaking about the future of the Amazon, Helder Barbalho emphasized that it is possible to reconcile forest and city, development and preservation. “Many people still see the environment as something distant from people. But in the Amazon, the challenge is to take care of the forest and those who live here. Sustainability only exists if it is social, environmental, and economic,” he reinforced.
Urban challenges
Responding to criticisms about the urban situation of the capital, the governor said that “Belém has difficulties like other Brazilian capitals. The difference is that here we are taking advantage of the COP to address what has been left behind.” According to him, the event will not be a concrete opportunity to tackle historical problems.
COP with “feet on the ground of the Amazon”
Addressing the role of the press in covering the conference, Helder Barbalho advocated for plural debate. “Freedom of opinion is fundamental. What cannot exist is prejudice against the Amazon. The COP will be held here, in the forest, with feet on the ground of the Amazon, and this bothers those who never thought it was possible,” he stated.
The Global Citizen Now Amazônia event brought together representatives from international organizations, environmentalists, youth, and Amazonian leaders. The choice of Belém as the host city for this year's edition reinforces the prominence of the capital of Pará in the global climate debate.
