COP30 in Amazon: Brazil cutting trees for a 'green' summit

Brazil has come under fire for razing vast swaths of the Amazon rainforest to build a road for the COP30 climate summit.

Concerns have been raised about the nation’s commitment to environmental protection in light of the expressway, which was constructed to accommodate tens of thousands of people for the UN climate conference.

The Amazon rainforest is credited with massive carbon absorption and exceptional biodiversity.

Residents have complained that the new road is destroying their livelihoods, while environmentalists argue that it will endanger wildlife attempting to pass through the forest.

More than 50,000 people, including international leaders, are expected to attend the summit in November, and the four-lane road is designed to facilitate traffic.

Some residents and environmentalists are furious about the highway's environmental impact, despite the state government's promotion of its "sustainable" qualities.

Many argue that this deforestation contradicts the fundamental goal of a climate summit, as the Amazon is crucial for biodiversity and carbon absorption on a global scale.

Claudio Verequete, who lives just 200 meters from the planned road, relied on acai berry harvesting from trees that once grew in the area.

"Everything was destroyed," he said. "Our harvest is gone, and we no longer have the income to support our family."

Meanwhile, Brazil’s president and environment minister defended the COP30 summit, calling it "a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon."

The president emphasizes that the summit will focus on the needs of the Amazon, showcase the forest to the world, and highlight the federal government's efforts to protect it.