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By Jordan King
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Tens of thousands of acres of the Amazon Rainforest are being cut down so a new highway can be built in preparation for the November COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil.
The BBC reports that preparations for the highway have already deforested some of the protected rainforest.
Newsweek has contacted COP30 and the Brazilian government via email for comment.
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Why It Matters
COP30 is a climate event, previous versions of which attracted criticism for how their attendance from people flying all over the world can be harmful to the environment.
Deforestation, biodiversity loss and carbon emissions will be major themes at COP30, meaning many will see the move as contradictory. However, previous COP events have resulted in important environmental policy.
COP30's location has provided an opportunity for investment and development into Belém that locals will benefit from.
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What To Know
The state government of Pará has been considering the highway, known as Avenida Liberdade, which is supposed to help ease traffic, since 2012.
It has been shelved for environmental concerns in the past but has since been listed as one of 30 projects Belém is undertaking to prepare for the COP30 summit, which is set to see more than 50,000 people, including top world leaders, visit the city.
Critics are worried about the environmental impact of the deforestation. Local Claudio Verequete, who used to work by harvesting açaí berries from trees there, told the BBC: "Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family."
But Brazilian officials have defended the project, with Adler Silveira, the state government's infrastructure secretary, insisting that the highway is sustainable with wildlife crossings for animals to use and solar lighting.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said this will be "a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon."
Speaking to Newsweek, Chris Hocknell, director of sustainability consultancy Eight Versa, said: "This was always going to be the case, if you need to undertake development to facilitate conference tourism, specifically in remote places like the Amazon, then there will be environmental damage and deforestation for infrastructure. Lula's backed this highway some time ago.
"Either 'have a COP in the Amazon' and make sure the COP talking-shop yields results, or have a COP in São Paulo and use existing infrastructure."
What People Are Saying
Brazilian Infrastructure Secretary Adler Silveira said the projects will "modernize" the city so "we can have a legacy for the population and, more importantly, serve people for COP30 in the best possible way."
Local Dalci Cardoso da Silva, who runs a leather shoe stall, told the BBC: "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."
Local Claudio Verequete: "For us who live on the side of the highway, there will be no benefits. There will be benefits for the trucks that will pass through. If someone gets sick, and needs to go to the center of Belém, we won't be able to use it."
What Happens Next
COP30 takes place from November 10-21. The Brazilian federal government is investing billions preparing for it.
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