According to a BBC report, the Amazon Rainforest is being cleared for a Highway ahead of COP30. Hundreds of thousands of acres are being cleared for the construction of a new four-lane highway called Avenida Liberdade (“Avenue of Liberty“) in Belem, Brazil. The eight-mile section has infuriated local residents and conservationists since it was designed to facilitate road traffic for the November conference.

Many people have criticized the irony of clearing a protected rainforest to hold a conference on climate change mitigation. The state government, however, is promoting the project as “sustainable,” stressing that the road is only partly constructed and that lush forest still remains on both sides. Images, however, show logs piled up along the 13-kilometer cleared area.

Amazon Rainforest Cleared for Highway Ahead of COP30: Infrastructure Projects Revived

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has marketed the 30th annual UN climate summit as a “COP in the Amazon” rather than a summit about climate change, and more than 50,000 people are anticipated to attend. The highway project, which had been put on hold because of environmental concerns, is one of several infrastructure projects that have been approved or restarted in advance of the event.

Adler Silveira, the secretary of the state government, listed the highway as one of 30 modernization initiatives meant to improve Belem. There will be bike lanes, solar-powered lights, and wildlife crossings on the road. In addition, the port is being renovated to make room for cruise ships, and new hotels are being built.

According to the BBC report, the Brazilian government has also spent more than $81 million to increase the airport’s capacity from 7 million to 14 million passengers.

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Locals Bear the Brunt of Deforestation

Deforestation has had detrimental effects on the communities near the construction zone. Claudio Verequete, who lives 200 meters from the roadway, told the BBC that the trees where he once gathered acai berries to make a living have been destroyed. He added that he is now dependent on his own funds because the state government has not offered any financial support.

Environmentalists argue that the highway sets a risky precedent for additional deforestation in the Amazon. Brazil’s commitment to global climate goals at COP30 is overshadowed by worries about long-term ecological harm caused by the ongoing clearance for infrastructure.

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