Brazil, April 04: Tens of thousands of acres of Amazon rainforest are being cleared to construct a four-lane highway in Belem, Brazil, where the COP30 climate summit will be held in November.
Named Avenida Liberdade (Avenue of Liberty), the eight-mile stretch is intended to ease traffic for the summit, which is expected to attract over 50,000 attendees.
Conservationists and locals are outraged over the irony of destroying a protected rainforest to host a climate summit.
State Secretary Adler Silveira said the highway is one of 30 projects aimed at modernizing the city. He claimed it would include wildlife crossings, bike lanes, and solar lighting.
The Brazilian government has invested over $81 million to expand the airport capacity from 7 million to 14 million passengers. New hotels and port facilities are also being developed.
Claudio Verequete, who lives 200 meters from the highway, told BBC that the trees he relied on for harvesting acai berries have been cleared, leaving him without income. He said the state government has not provided financial aid, and he is surviving on savings.
The highway project had been halted multiple times due to environmental opposition but was revived for COP30 preparations.
