In preparation for COP30–—the 30th UN climate conference scheduled later this year in Belém, Brazil–—an estimated 100,000 mature Amazon trees were cut down to build an eight-mile, four-lane highway, Avenida Liberdade. The road aims to speed up access of conference attendees to their temporary accommodation.
From November 10-21, 2025 COP30 is expected to bring together world leaders, scientists, NGOs, and ‘civil society’ groups to discuss climate priorities.
The irony of traveling through a newly cleared stretch of the Amazon rainforest, raising concerns about deforestation and disruption to local wildlife in order to attend the upcoming climate conference, has not gone unnoticed.
Delegates may find that ‘climate priorities’ are more complex than they first appear. Recent research published in Nature Plants indicates that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide has promoted growth in the remaining Amazon forest, with mature trees growing by over 6% per decade. Global vegetation has similarly benefited, with an estimated 15% increase over the last 40 years, contributing to higher crop yields and even some desert shrinkage.
Last year’s COP29 swindle in Baku, Azerbaijan saw the European Union drive the discussion by calling for a global phase-out of fossil fuels and demanding that developed countries take on an even bigger financial burden—while China and other major industrial players would only have to chip in ‘voluntarily.’
