Belém’s Waste Crisis Exposes Deep Failures Ahead of COP30 Summit

As the world turns its eyes to Belém, Brazil, for the upcoming UN COP30 climate summit, an uncomfortable reality festers beneath the spotlight: the city faces a severe judicial and environmental crisis over waste disposal that starkly contradicts the summit's lofty ambitions.When Global Leadership Meets Local MismanagementBelém—gateway to the Amazon and home to many vulnerable communities living without basic sanitation—is drowning in more than 1,500 tons of daily garbage from itself and neighboring municipalities Ananindeua and Marituba. Instead of showcasing progress, the city highlights how poor governance can undermine even the most crucial international dialogues on climate.The primary landfill at...