Climate News: Amazon rainforest cut down to build highway for COP30 summit

Eight miles of protected Amazon rainforest are being decimated to build a road for the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, in November this year.

The new four-lane highway aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50,000 people – including world leaders – at the conference in November.

Many say this deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate summit

The Brazilian Government has defended the project, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva saying the summit will be “historic“, as it is “a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon”, and that the conference would showcase what the federal government has done to protect it.

Speaking to the BBC, the state government’s infrastructure secretary, Adler Silveira, described the project as an “important mobility intervention” involving a “sustainable highway”. He said: “We can have a legacy for the population and, more importantly, serve people for COP30 in the best possible way.” Silveira listed this highway as one of 30 projects happening in the city to “prepare” and “modernise” it.

However, many say this deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate summit.

The irony of this project cannot be missed. Despite statements from the government, what is undeniable is the vital role that the Amazon plays in facilitating biodiversity and absorbing carbon for the world.

Others agree that this development will bring opportunities for the city

There are mixed opinions from local communities facing direct effects from the construction of the highway. One individual, Claudio Verequete, said that the felling has taken away a source of his family’s income as “everything was destroyed“. He states that he has received no compensation from the state government and is currently relying on savings. Verequete continued: “Our fear is that one day someone will come here and say: ‘Here’s some money. We need this area to build a gas station, or to build a warehouse,’ and then we’ll have to leave.”

Others agree that this development will bring opportunities for the city. Dalci Cardoso da Silva, who runs a leather shoe stall, said: “The city as a whole is being improved, it is being repaired and a lot of people are visiting from other places. It means I can sell more and earn more.”  João Alexandre Trindade da Silva, who sells Amazonian herbal medicines in the market, acknowledges that all construction work can cause problems, but he felt the future impact would be worth it.

It is yet to be seen whether the destructive steps that are being taken to host this “historic” COP will undermine its intended message, or instead shine light and provide a suitable platform to highlight climate concerns.