Amazon forest felled to build road for COP30 climate summit

Source: BBC

Amazon forest felled to build road for climate summit

12 March 2025

Ione Wells
Belém, Brazil

A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.

It aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50,000 people - including world leaders - at the conference in November.

The state government touts the highway's "sustainable" credentials, but some locals and conservationists are outraged at the environmental impact.

The Amazon plays a vital role in absorbing carbon for the world and providing biodiversity, and many say this deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate summit.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vy191rgn1o