India, Nov. 25 -- Even before I started my trip to Belem and 30 hours of flying, halfway across the world for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), I knew that it would feel like home. A mix of instinct and reading parts of "Brazil: A Biography," on the colonisation, the conflicting identities of a huge country, I could sense that it may be a place like India.

When I landed in Belem, all worn out, the landscape reminded me of parts of West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, and the northeastern states. It has a little bit from all of these places. Parts of Belem are highly urbanised with tall buildings, malls, offices, and hotels. Others are like a small town with open drains, marshes, roadside eateries, and children playing football i...