By Actions tend to speak louder than words, and while some leftwingers obsessed with climate change have spent the past few weeks attacking Teslas and Germany lectures Americans about carbon emissions while buying energy from Russia and closing nuclear plants, Brazil may have recently taken the cake when it comes to “green” hypocrisy. The South American country is preparing to host the COP30 climate summit in November, but a newly constructed four-lane highway cutting through the Amazon rainforest has stirred significant controversy.
The highway, meant to improve traffic flow in Belém, the summit’s host city, has been met with strong opposition from environmentalists and local communities who argue it contradicts the summit’s purpose. With over 50,000 expected attendees, including world leaders, the event is set to highlight global climate action, yet the destruction caused by this project raises serious concerns.
Images from space have been able to mark the damage to the forest, writes ABC News.
Satellite images appear to show a new highway cutting through the rainforest in the Brazilian state set to host the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The images, taken in by Copernicus satellites in October 2023 and October 2024, appear to show the construction of the Avenida Liberdade highway near the city of Belem, the capital of Para state, which is hosting COP30. The stretch of cleared path is surrounded by lush foliage on both sides.
The Avenida Liberdade highway is expected to measure at about 8.2 miles in length and offer two lanes of traffic in both directions, according to the Para regional government website. It will connect two existing road systems and function as a new entry and exit route for the Belém Metropolitan Region.
The work was about 20% complete as of November 2024, according to an update on the Brazilian government’s website.
In northwest Brazil, officials are aiming to pave a 560-mile road connecting the Amazon-adjacent states of Amazonas and Roraima to the rest of the country. The highway, BR-319, is currently mostly dirt and is difficult for most vehicles to travel on, experts told ABC News last year.
NEW: Brazil is hosting the COP30 climate summit later this year in November, and they have cleared tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon Rainforest land to construct a new four-lane highway.
You can’t make this stuff up…!
The highway is being built to ease traffic to… pic.twitter.com/pbCOXYna0Z
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) March 12, 2025
Avenida Liberdade, spanning 13 kilometers (8 miles), runs through a protected part of the Amazon, a region critical for absorbing carbon and supporting biodiversity, according to BBC. Along the highway’s path, lush rainforest has been cleared, leaving behind felled logs and exposed land. Heavy machinery is now carving through wetlands, raising fears that the road will accelerate environmental damage.
For many local residents, the impact is already being felt. Claudio Verequete, who once relied on harvesting açaí berries from the now-cleared forest, has lost his livelihood. With no compensation from the government, he and his family are struggling to make ends meet. He worries that the new road will attract businesses looking to build gas stations and warehouses, eventually forcing him to leave his home. Despite living near the highway, he and his neighbors will not benefit from it directly, as its design prevents local access. While trucks and summit attendees will travel freely, nearby communities remain disconnected from central Belém.
Scientists are also concerned about the ecological impact of the project. Professor Silvia Sardinha, a wildlife veterinarian, warns that deforestation permanently disrupts the region’s delicate ecosystem. Her animal rehabilitation center, which releases rescued wildlife back into the forest, will soon lose essential habitats. The road will also cut off migration routes for land species, limiting their breeding areas and threatening their survival.
Government officials have defended the project as a step toward sustainable urban development. Adler Silveira, Pará’s infrastructure secretary, has emphasized planned eco-friendly features such as wildlife crossings, bike lanes, and solar lighting. Alongside the highway, Belém is undergoing a major transformation, including an expanded airport, new hotels, and the creation of a vast urban park. Supporters believe these improvements will boost the local economy and leave a lasting impact beyond COP30. João Alexandre Trindade da Silva, a market vendor selling Amazonian herbal medicine, remains hopeful but cautious. He wants to see real action come from the climate summit, not just promises on paper.
Despite official assurances, critics argue that cutting down rainforest to accommodate a climate conference undermines the summit’s credibility. As world leaders gather to discuss emissions reductions and environmental protection, the decision to destroy a crucial carbon sink for the event itself appears contradictory. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist, has pledged to use COP30 to showcase conservation efforts in the Amazon, but the controversy surrounding Avenida Liberdade casts doubt on those commitments.
The Brazilian leader recently found himself in hot water after announcing that he supports drilling for oil in the Amazon in order “to finance the energy transition.”
[Read More: USAID Workers Shredding Documents]
