A school built for the future
For three years, the Maria Naura Gouvêa Municipal School has been living one of the central themes of COP30: adaptation.
Its flood and erosion resistant walls, insulated roofs, solar energy systems and satellite internet make it a rare safe haven. A 150-meter well guarantees drinking water, a luxury in many areas of the region.
During our visit, Kamal Kishore, director of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), called the school “a guiding light” and added: “I would like to see at least 100,000 schools like this around the world.”
Droughts, erosion and sea level rise
The mayor of Barcarena, Renato Ogawa, explained that the climate impacts here are subtle, but disturbing:
“The main event is the drying of rivers and streams. One week the students manage to arrive by boat; the next, due to tidal variations, they cannot reach school on time and must walk along freshwater slopes and beaches that, due to rising sea levels, have begun to flood, causing erosion.”
There are currently retaining walls along the banks of the river, but Ogawa warned: “If nothing is done, over the years we will have to raise and expand that wall.”
Rising sea levels are also altering fish movements, threatening local diets as river water becomes saltier.
These challenges have brought Barcarena to the forefront of climate adaptation, earning it global recognition.
For three years, the Maria Naura Gouvêa Municipal School, in Pará, Brazil, has been putting into practice one of the topics discussed at COP30: adapting to a world full of dangerous climate events.
Local leadership on the global stage
In 2023, Barcarena became the 25th Resilience Center in the world and the first in the Amazon. These UNDRR-identified centers are cities recognized for their strong track record in disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and are committed to advising other municipalities by sharing practical solutions and expertise.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach highlighted why COP30 must amplify voices like Mr. Ogawa: “We must protect people to protect the planet. And another key point is the importance of local governments, local action and local leadership.”
Recognition, he added, is not enough: “It must be accompanied by solid and robust implementation mechanisms.”
‘An exception in the Amazon’
Brazil’s Minister of Cities, Jader Filho, praised Barcarena’s progress but noted: “The school is an exception and does not reflect the educational reality of the Amazon in general. But it shows what is possible when financing and political will are aligned.”
Students showed projects turning cooking oil into soap, creating natural dyes from vegetables and planting trees to beat the heat.
Lyndisse Wandra Santos summed up its spirit: “Each tree planted is a gesture of love and hope; adapting is moving forward despite the difficulties.”
Kamal Kishore said he was inspired by their vision: “Brazil is a success story,” he noted, citing more than 2,000 cities around the world in the Making Cities Resilient campaign, many of them Brazilian.
The legacy of COP30 in Barcarena
Mayor Ogawa revealed that COP30 has already accelerated investments: “By the end of the year, we will achieve 90 percent wastewater treatment coverage and drinking water for 95 percent of the municipality. Otherwise, these goals would take 10 to 15 years.”
Next on their agenda: the transition of public transport ships to clean energy.
UN-Habitat chief Ms Rossbach warned that similar investments are urgently needed elsewhere, especially in housing, as millions of people live in precarious conditions under growing climate threats.
From the ‘COP of the forests’ to the ‘COP of the cities’
He pointed to Rio’s Maré favela, where temperatures can routinely rise 6°C above the city average, according to data collected by residents themselves.
Their hope is that “this Forest COP (as COP30 is announced because it is held in Belém, Brazil, near the Amazon rainforest) should also strengthen the urban agenda, prioritizing the protection of the most vulnerable.”
As COP30 unfolds in Belém, Barcarena’s story offers a powerful lesson: climate resilience begins at the local level. From solar-powered classrooms to student-led projects, this Amazon municipality shows that adaptation is not only possible: it is already happening. And in a world facing rising seas and changing tides, these lessons are more important than ever.
UN Newsis reporting from Belém, giving you front-row coverage of everything happening at COP30.