In a move drawing fierce backlash at home and abroad, Brazilian authorities have cleared a 13-kilometer stretch of protected Amazon rainforest to build a four-lane highway leading into the city of Belém — the host of this November’s high-stakes COP30 climate summit. Up to 50,000 attendees are expected, but environmentalists say Brazil is destroying the very ecosystem the conference is meant to save.
A Project Once Abandoned — Now Revived at Full Speed
The state of Pará first considered the so-called Avenida Liberdade in 2012 but shelved the plan over environmental concerns. This year, however, construction was abruptly launched, carrying a price tag of more than $81 million.
Officials argue the project will modernize the region, adding wildlife crossings, bike lanes, solar lighting, hotels, and an upgraded port to support the summit’s massive influx of visitors. Local businesses in Belém have welcomed the development, anticipating a tourism boom.
But Many Brazilians See a Dangerous Trade-Off
For environmental experts and residents, the highway represents a devastating blow to an already strained ecosystem.
Veterinarian Silvia Sardinha warns that carving up the forest will fragment habitats, disrupt animal movement, and accelerate loss of biodiversity.
Local resident Claudio Verequete, who once relied on harvesting açaí berries in the area, says he lost his livelihood after the clearing began — and received no compensation.
That outrage is amplified by the Amazon’s global importance as Earth’s largest carbon sink. Cutting down rainforest for a climate summit, critics argue, isn’t just contradictory — it’s reckless.
“A Summit in the Amazon — Not About the Amazon”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva insists Brazil remains committed to conservation, promising COP30 will be “a summit in the Amazon, not about the Amazon.” He says the project will showcase national progress.
Environmentalists aren’t convinced. To them, the highway is the latest proof that Brazil’s actions don’t match its climate rhetoric — and that the world’s most critical rainforest continues to be sacrificed for political spectacle.