UN hypocrisy at climate change conference is 'appalling': Sheila Gunn Reid

"The amount of money invested in the climate change conference should have been used to make the lives of the people of Belém better," said Sheila.

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  |   November 25, 2025   |   News Analysis   |   1 Comment

On Monday's live stream, Sheila Gunn Reid and David Menzies discussed the blatant hypocrisy exhibited by the United Nations at its climate change conference in Belém, Brazil.

Despite the tens of thousands of climate change activists and politicians descending on the conference to discuss greenhouse gas emissions, Sheila pointed out that luxury cruise ships were brought in for delegates to stay in after a custom dock was built for them.

Sheila also discussed tracking down the "secret highway" carved through the untouched rainforest that was reportedly intended to address traffic jams caused by the UN conference despite being currently unfinished.

Speaking about the stark contrast between the luxurious accommodations at the UN's conference and the squalor conditions locals are forced to live in, Sheila described how the UN is actually dumping its construction debris into an impoverished community called Vila da Barca.

"The UN – the same UN holding a climate conference just a few kilometres away – has been dumping its construction waste from conference facilities in this vulnerable community," she said.

"We tracked it down, and wouldn’t you know it, we found the very dump site the UN is using. We found the discarded UN-logo'ed signs and trash hiding in plain sight," Sheila continued.

The Rebel News reporter also explained that while she typically doesn't support the use of the term 'environmental racism', it appears to be on full display by the UN in Belém.

"If anything deserves that label, it’s powerful international elites quietly hiding their mess in a powerless, working-poor neighbourhood that has zero ability to fight back," she said.

"This is a poor community. It’s largely mulatto and marginalized. They don’t have political clout, lobbyists or PR teams. And yet the world’s climate aristocracy has chosen to hide its environmental carnage right in the middle of their homes," Sheila added.

The UN's annual climate change conference brings together tens of thousands of activists, politicians, and scientists to discuss new strategies to address climate change around the globe.

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The UN’s massive climate summit in Belém, Brazil has wrapped — and while nearly everyone there was on a government or lobbyist expense account, our reporting was funded entirely by viewers like you.

Because of your support, Sheila Gunn Reid and Kian Simone uncovered what the UN tried to hide: luxury cruise ships, diesel-fuelled motorcades, a secret highway carved through the Amazon, sewage-filled “revitalization” projects, and even UN conference waste dumped in a poor neighbourhood.

The mission is complete, but the costs remain. Flights were just under $5,000, accommodation $2,500, plus transport, mobile data and local help — a total of $8,500–$9,000.

If you value this kind of on-the-ground reporting the mainstream won’t do, please chip in to help us cover the remaining costs of the trip.

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-11-25 19:59:23 -0500
    How long will this crapola happen before enough people demand it be defunded? The absurdly rich are getting far richer because of the gullibility of voters. Maybe it’s time to have people write a test before they are allowed to vote.