Events Belém, Brazil
HydroBeetle presents at COP30 in Belém
As one of five finalist teams of ACTION 2025, HydroBeetle presented its water backpack at a climate and health session in the China Pavilion.
On 14 November 2025, HydroBeetle presented at COP30, the United Nations climate conference in Belém, Brazil, in the final of the ACTION 2025 student competition.
The session
The final was part of a side event at the China Pavilion, hosted by Tsinghua University. It was the pavilion’s first session on climate and health.
Five student teams presented. They came from Tsinghua University, the National University of Singapore, the University of Hong Kong, Nanjing University and the University of Tokyo.
“The Pavilion’s first dedicated ‘Climate and Health’ session elevated youth-driven innovation to the forefront of the global climate dialogue.”
Who was in the room
The World Meteorological Organization’s report names several senior guests: Li Gao, China’s vice minister of ecology and environment, Alexandre Padilha, Brazil’s minister of health, and Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, who works on climate and health at the World Health Organization.
What HydroBeetle presented
HydroBeetle presented its idea: a backpack that collects water from the air, shaped by the way a desert beetle gathers fog. At the time it had two early prototypes. The pack itself was still a design.
What came next
Two months later, the Soil Foundation selected the project for a grant.
In pictures
Timeline
- 22 September 2025Online defence. Five teams go through to the final.
- 20 October 2025Roadshow in Hong Kong.
- 14 November 2025Final at COP30 in Belém.
