A highway is being built through the Amazon rainforest in Brazil ahead of the UN climate summit. About 13 kilometers of vegetation have been cut down to make way for four lanes of traffic, potentially threatening rare fauna.
Points of attention
- The construction of a highway through the Amazon rainforest in Brazil for the UN climate summit poses a threat to rare fauna and biodiversity.
- Deforestation disrupts ecosystems, limits animal territories, and threatens biodiversity in the region.
- Local residents suffer losses from deforestation, impacting their livelihoods and living conditions.
In Brazil, 13 km of rainforest was cut down to build a highway
This is how local authorities are preparing for the event, which is expected to be attended by tens of thousands of people, including world leaders, in November 2025.
The Amazon plays a vital role for the planet, as its forests absorb a lot of carbon and provide biodiversity, so activists fear that the project, which is designed to relieve existing roads, contradicts the goal of the climate conference.
A few hundred meters from the construction of the future road lives Claudio Verecete, who used to pick berries in the forest and sell them.
"Everything is destroyed. Our harvest has decreased. We no longer have the income we need to feed our family," the man shared, admitting that he is now relying on his savings.
The road also separates parts of the protected forest, which threatens to fragment the ecosystem and disrupt the paths that local animals usually travel.
"Land animals will no longer be able to cross to the other side, which will reduce the areas where they can live and reproduce," explained Silvia Sardigna, a veterinarian and professor at the university's animal clinic, about the potential dangers of the project.
In a comment to the BBC, Adler Silveira, a representative of the infrastructure department of the state of Pará, said that the construction of the road is one of 30 projects aimed at preparing the region for the climate summit.
[Modernization will help] leave a legacy for the population and, more importantly, serve the people within the framework of the Climate Change Conference (COP30), — said Adler Silveira.
Overall, Brazil's federal government plans to double the airport's capacity and build a new 500,000-square-meter urban park by the end of the year. Some local entrepreneurs agree that these projects will bring new opportunities to the city.
Scientists have previously warned that half of the Amazon rainforest could be destroyed by 2050 due to water shortages, land clearing and climate change.
