The negotiations in the Brazilian Belém will hardly affect that Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen does not take part in the UN Climate Conference (COP) this year. But his cancellation makes a problem clear: the hotel prices in the rainforest metropolis have climbed to insane heights for the conference period in November. For many, participation is simply too expensive, especially for the delegations of poorer states and for civil society. For lobbyists in the oil and gas industry, the costs are easier to shoulder- their influence could be even greater this year than he has been in recent years.