Brazil road project draws criticism over Amazon deforestation risks ahead of COP30

In the run-up to the annual U.N. climate conference, set to take place in Brazil’s Amazon in November, the construction of a road is drawing attention, with critics arguing it will lead to environmental degradation.

Before the talks, called COP30, the state government of Para is building a 13-kilometer (8-mile) avenue designed to ease traffic on a major highway that runs parallel.

The road was planned long before Belem, a metropolitan area of 2.5 million people that sits on the edge of the Amazon, was chosen as conference host. That hasn’t spared it sharp criticism, however, because the road is expected to cut across the last remnants of rainforest in Belem.

Road building in the Amazon, which historically has often led to deforestation and development of surrounding areas, also stands in stark contrast to a central aim of climate conferences, and in particular this one: conservation of biodiversity.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has made the slowing of deforestation a central focus of his administration, has frequently boasted that this will be the first such conference in the Amazon rainforest.

The Amazon is key to regulating the climate, because trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that heats the planet when released into the atmosphere.

“We will hold the best COP in history because the topic of all the ones held in other countries was the Amazon,” Lula said while visiting Belem worksites in February. “This one will be in the Amazon.”

An official project map shows a straight line dividing a green area through the city’s outskirts. This protected area is slightly larger than Manhattan. It was designated in 1993 to protect two lakes, a river basin and to restore a degraded rainforest. However, its rules allow private properties, government-approved deforestation and public works. Two university campuses are located within its limits.

“Even with measures to reduce the damage, there are tough issues to address,” said Roberta Rodrigues, a professor of architecture at the Federal University of Para. “It’s hard to imagine a road being built along the banks of the Guama River without it leading to illegal development. It may lead to the end of this protected area.”

The project dates back to 2020. Construction began in mid-2024, despite criticism over its impact on one of the city’s few remaining green areas. The project drew wider attention in March, when the BBC reported that the avenue was “being built for COP30.” As the story was picked up by news outlets around the world, Brazil’s government issued a statement saying the avenue wasn’t among the 33 infrastructure projects planned for COP30.

In a statement to The Associated Press, the state government of Para said that the avenue, named Liberdade, or Freedom, will be an expressway and development around it won’t be permitted.

The chaotic growth of Brazilian cities, however, suggests it’s a promise that will be hard to keep. Countless public areas have been occupied for the irregular construction of housing — from modest structures to luxury condos — with the expectation that they will eventually be legalized, which often ends up happening.

Belem is the capital of Para, which is run by Gov. Helder Barbalho, a politician from a traditional family who is an ally of Lula. Both support oil drilling in the nearby mouth of the Amazon River, likely a point of contention during COP30.

The road is scheduled to be inaugurated just before the conference kicking off on Nov. 10.

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—Fabiano Maisonnave, Associated Press