00:00With COP30 on the horizon, Brazil's government is racing to multiply the 18,000 beds available
00:07in the host city of Belém.
00:10Deemed the so-called People's COP, sky-high accommodation costs are threatening the country's
00:15stated goal of inclusion for the United Nations Climate Summit.
00:19Brazil's special secretary for COP30 said the government expects around 45,000 people
00:25to attend.
00:26They have already moved the days when heads of state will attend to one week before the
00:31main event to lower the pressure on housing in Belém.
00:35But entrepreneurs like Johan Costa are figuring out creative ways to take in the flood of
00:40visitors.
00:41Costa believes he can turn his love hotel into a more accommodating space.
00:46This here is the erotic chair.
00:49We have to take it out so as not to scare away the people who are going to come and
00:53stay here.
00:54This is the kind of thing we are going to remove to adapt the motel to the COP.
01:00City and state officials are also encouraging residents to travel and rent out their homes.
01:06Some are taking full advantage.
01:08Ads to rent some apartments and homes are charging hundreds of thousands of dollars.
01:13Valmeiro Costa owns three homes in the city and plans to make them all available for the
01:18summit.
01:19Belém, a city of 1.3 million, has become a huge construction site.
01:24The Brazilian government has poured around $1 billion into building work there.
01:29However, not all are happy with the economic boom.
01:32Açai farmer Marivaldo Santos Chagas is concerned about road construction impacting his piece.
01:40Many also remain sceptical that the work will be enough to provide the infrastructure needed
01:45to move people around and host the many planned events.
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