Amazon's green legacy threatened by COP30 summit highway
A vast portion of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared to build a road for the COP30 climate summit. The local community is distraught: "Everything was destroyed. Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family," and "Where are we going to go?" Environmentalists are also protesting.
A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being constructed specifically for the climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém. This is to prepare the necessary infrastructure and facilitate access to the city, which will host the COP30 climate summit from 10 to 21 November 2025. It is estimated that over 50,000 people, including world leaders, will gather in Belém, the capital of the state of Pará, Brazil.
"The green lungs of the Earth" are going under the axe, diggers are hardening the ground
The Amazon, long referred to as the "green lungs of the Earth," plays a key role in absorbing carbon dioxide and ensuring biodiversity, and many argue that the deforestation contradicts the very purpose of the climate summit, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, the state government in Brazil boasts about the "sustainable" nature of the highway. Local residents and environmentalists have a slightly different opinion and are outraged by this decision.
Along the partially built road, lush rainforests stand as a reminder of what once was. On the cleared land, which stretches over 13 kilometres through the rainforest to Belém, piles of wood are stacked. Excavators and machines are destroying the forest floor, hardening the wetlands to create a road surface that cuts through the protected area.
"Everything was destroyed", "Where are we going to go?"
In an interview with the BBC, Claudio Verequete, living about 200 metres from the planned road, who previously earned a living gathering açaí berries from the trees that once grew there, says he has received no compensation and currently relies on his savings. "Everything was destroyed. Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family," he said.
He is also worried that the construction of this road will lead to further deforestation in the future, especially now that the area has become more accessible for business. He fears he will have to leave because someone might want to build a warehouse or petrol station here: "We were born and raised here in the community. Where are we going to go?"
The highway will not only cut off residents but also threaten animals
His community will not have access to the road, as walls will be built on both sides. For the residents living near the highway, there will be no benefits; they will accrue to entrepreneurs and lorry drivers passing through. In the event of illness and the need to reach downtown Belém, local residents will not be able to use it.
The road will leave two isolated areas of protected forest, raising concerns among scientists about fragmentation of the ecosystem and disruption of wildlife migration. Professor Silvia Sardinha, a veterinarian and researcher at the university's animal hospital, emphasised in an interview with the BBC that rehabilitating wild animals with injuries, mainly caused by humans or vehicles, will be more challenging when the highway is completed. While these discussions are taking place "at a very high level," among business people and government officials, those living in the Amazon are "not being heard", admitted the researcher.
The investment is crucial, say the authorities
The President of Brazil and the Minister of Environment claim this will be a historic summit because it will take place in the Amazon, not just about the Amazon. The state government of Pará considered building this highway, known as Avenida Liberdade, back in 2012, but the project was repeatedly postponed due to environmental concerns. Now, as part of preparations for the COP summit, many infrastructure projects have been resumed or approved.
The Brazilian government believes that the emerging highway is one of 30 projects aimed at "preparing" and "modernising" the city so "we can have a legacy for the population and, more importantly, serve people for COP30 in the best possible way," reports the BBC. It aims to be a "sustainable highway" with animal crossings, bike paths, and solar lighting. Some business owners in the nearest city adjacent to the developing road, dealing in shoe sales or herbal medicine, share this view. They told the BBC reporter that they believe the development will bring new opportunities to the city and that the future benefits will be worth it.
