The Brazillian government has felled an eight-mile stretch of protected Amazon rainforest to make way for new four-lane highway leading to the Brazilian city of Belém where the COP30 climate summit will be held in November.
The massive deforestation, reported by BBC, is being carried out to ease traffic congestion in the city which will reportedly host over 50,000 people – including world leaders –for the summit. COP30 is an important platform for enhancing global climate action and establishing clearer carbon trading rules, which aim to strengthen the global carbon system and boost participation from the public and private sectors, according to World Economic Forum.
The Aim of COP30
Brazil’s key goal for COP30 is securing a pathway to mobilise $1.3 trillion annual by 2035 for developing nations-far beyond $300 billion agreed at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. While the Baku commitment remains, Brazil is exploring additional financing avenues to bridge this gap through initiatives like ‘Baku to Belem Roadmap to 1.3T’.
The conference is meant to streamline global processes for tackling climate change. However, the act of felling trees for infrastructure development contradicts the purpose of hosting a conference focused on reducing global carbon emissions.
Government Defends the Project
Adler Silveira, the secretary of the state government's infrastructure, defended the project as an "important mobility intervention," and said it was a "sustainable highway," the Daily Mail reported. He said, "We can have a legacy for the population and more importantly, serve people for COP30 in the best possible way," Daily Mail quoted.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva claimed that the summit will be "a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon," the Daily Mail quoted. Lula stressed that COP30 would highlight the needs of the Amazon and show the world what the federal government has done to protect it, according to Daily Mail.
COP29 Was a Disappointment
COP29 failed to deliver on the expected climate financing, which was a key disappointment in Baku.
With countries now looking to strengthen climate commitments and secure better financing, starting preparations for COP30 with actions that contradict environmental goals undermines the credibility of the conference.
Deforestation not only harms global carbon sequestration efforts but also risks dissuading participating nations, especially after US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement under US President Donald Trump.
