A massive four-lane motorway is slicing through pristine Amazon rainforest to allow delegates to reach a world summit on climate change. The horror double standard is taking shape in Brazil at the cost of reportedly thousands of acres of tropical forest surrounding the pretty city of Belém in the northeastern state of Pará.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the city in February to greet workers who were helping to construct auditoriums and venues for the COP30 climate summit, which nations from all over the globe will attend.
Prince William is expected to be one of the most high-profile guests at the conference, which will be held in November.
But the BBC reports that efforts to make it easier for the 50,000-plus people expected to attend the event have included the construction of a huge highway through the forest. As the preparation for the road continues, an ugly eight-mile-long scar now exists in the forest.
One of the key goals of the COP programme is to “agree on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming”.
However, it’s widely known that forests and green spaces are major ways the planet can naturally absorb damaging CO2 from the atmosphere.
It’s reported that Brazilian authorities have said the new road is “sustainable”, but locals and conservationists have been angered at what they say is the destruction of a protected area.
One local, Claudio Verequete, told the BBC that the road was damaging his livelihood as he makes money from collecting açaí berries that grew in the trees that have been chopped down.
He said: “Everything was destroyed, our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family.
“Our fear is that one day someone will come here and say: ‘Here’s some money. We need this area to build a gas station, or to build a warehouse.’ And then we’ll have to leave.
“We were born and raised here in the community. Where are we going to go?”
Prof Silvia Sardinha works at a university animal hospital close to the site of the new road, she said: “From the moment of deforestation, there is a loss. We are going to lose an area to release these animals back into the wild, the natural environment of these species.
“Land animals will no longer be able to cross to the other side too, reducing the areas where they can live and breed.”
Adler Silveira, the Para state government’s infrastructure secretary, told the BBC the project was a “sustainable highway” and an “important mobility intervention”.
Mr Silveira added that the road would have wildlife crossings built to allow animals to pass over.