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Instituto Internacional Arayara de Educação e Cultura vs. Booking.com e outros (Exorbitant Accommodation Prices at COP-30) - petition

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In August, 2025, the Arayara International Institute of Education and Culture filed a Public Civil Action (ACP) with a request for preliminary injunction, against Hotel Cop 30, Hotel Danúbio, Hotel Santa Clara, Cop 30 Hospedagem, Galeria Sempre Com Deus, Panorama Hotel, Pousada Da Didi, Marujus Cotijuba, Airbnb Plataforma Digital Ltda, and Booking.com Brasil Serviços de Reserva de Hotéis Ltda, due to the abusive and disproportionate increase in accommodation prices in Belém/PA during the period of the 30th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP-30), scheduled to take place in November 2025. The plaintiff argues that there was an increase of over 500% in the daily rates offered on digital platforms and local establishments, constituting an abusive practice contrary to the economic and social purpose of property. The plaintiff alleges that the exorbitant prices threaten to exclude delegations from developing countries, highly vulnerable consumers, traditional peoples, social movements, and civil society organizations, all of which are fundamental actors in discussions on climate justice and energy transition. This, they argue, would lead to the event's elitization and risk the transfer of COP-30 to another city or country, thereby affecting Brazil's international image and the conference's credibility. In an urgent injunction, the plaintiff requests the immediate suspension of offers and reservations for accommodations with prices exceeding the average price of the last 12 months and the establishment of a provisional price ceiling based on 2024 values adjusted for inflation. On the merits, the plaintiff seeks confirmation of the price limitation; double reimbursement of amounts paid above the established parameter; and the joint and several liability of the defendants to pay R$ 1 million for collective moral damages (to be allocated to the Fund for the Defense of Diffuse Rights); an order for the defendant hotel and accommodation companies to reverse the increases applied and maintain the price applied in 2024 for the same period, adjusted by the official inflation index, or IPCA or IGP-M or another official adjustment index; and the condemnation of the Airbnb and Booking.com platforms to establish a ceiling on the price of accommodation, considering the average charged by advertisers and the historical average price.

A decision was issued denying the preliminary injunction request, based on the genericity, imprecision, and unenforceability of the proposed criterion of "average of the last 12 months" to serve as the basis for an immediate enforcement court order. It was highlighted that judicial price limits, without concrete and uniform data, could generate legal uncertainty and a "reverse periculum in mora," with a reduction in the supply of accommodation and an artificial shortage of beds during the event, exacerbating the problem instead of solving it.

Instituto Internacional Arayara de Educação e Cultura vs. Booking.com e outros (Exorbitant Accommodation Prices at COP-30)

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Climate change can have a range of impacts on technological system. Extreme weather events can cause infrastructure failures like power outages or damage to roads and bridges, as well as the impacts from waste following natural disasters. Human activities also cause technological impacts, such as the risks posed by oil spillage and leaks.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

People whose sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression differs from the majority or societal norms

Using laws and the legal system more broadly to protect vulnerable entities

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

Direct investments by the governments using public funds. This can be to support climate initiatives or integrate climate into other projects.

Activities involving the management, development, and sale of property assets.

Activities that provide lodging, food, and entertainment services to guests, including hotels, restaurants, and resorts.

This sector creates and distributes information and entertainment through television, radio, print, and digital platforms.

Financial support to help individuals manage the effects of unexpected events, securing their livelihoods and increasing the resilience of people and businesses to the changing climate. It’s especially vital in developing regions where everyday risks, climate-related weather extremes, or crop failures can push people into poverty. Without insurance, people may have to resort to selling assets or cutting consumption to cope with losses.

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets