I just arrived home after two intense weeks in Belém. I feel relieved it’s over. Logistically, this has been the hardest of the eleven COPs I’ve attended.

I also feel deeply disappointed: the outcome of the negotiations was largely poor, even if some concrete results shouldn’t be dismissed.

At the same time, I am very grateful for the chance to be among those using COP to push climate action forward, not to block progress. Grateful and proud to help highlight positive efforts and real change.

I’ll analyse the “political” outcome later. But right after landing, I wanted to explain why this has been the toughest COP so far. The first major challenge began months ago with the struggle to find affordable accommodation. Thanks to colleagues’ solidarity, I eventually found a solution.

Once in Belém, the difficulties were basic: heat, humidity, a sense of insecurity and an event organisation with clear room for improvement.

Brazil chose Belém so leaders and participants would be at the gateway to the Amazon, aiming for the most inclusive COP ever. That goal was achieved, and the Brazilian Presidency deserves recognition.

Still, hosting the COP in one of Brazil’s poorest cities, with major development challenges and a tropical climate, confronted all of us with the material realities that billions face worldwide.

Poverty, lack of infrastructure, inefficient cooling, extreme weather and even an accidental fire inside the venue… These conditions reflect some of the global interconnected challenges at the heart of the climate summits.

While this COP failed on negotiations, it succeeded in confronting us with today’s harsh realities: inequality, injustice, geopolitical turmoil, multilateralism in crisis and a mortiferous resistance from fossil fuel and other vested interests.

But it also showed the collective determination to drive action and improve lives, with historic indigenous participation and thousands back into the street, calling for a better future in peace and with joy.

Brazil couldn’t steer countries toward a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap, but it did reveal the human struggle for collective progress, beyond individual limitations and resistances. I hope Brazil continues leading with honesty and determination after COP30.

For the rest of us, it is urgent to reflect on the impact of so much energy and money spent at COPs. I saw a lot of waste in Belém. Keeping COPs-as-usual should not be an option. COPs have become much more than intergovernmental negotiations; they are the greatest global platform to drive and showcase climate action. But they need to be more efficient.

Personally, at this COP I became more aware of my own physical, mental, and emotional limitations.

My solidarity and gratitude to everyone who contributed to an impactful COP30. I would love to know how you feel and how you think we can make COPs fit to better serve the world.

More pictures here.