A new six-lane motorway bulldozing through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is set to be completed as preparations for the COP30 climate summit begin.
Images show the eight-mile highway cutting through swathes of lush forest greenery, as the Brazilian government prepares to host more than 50,000 people in the outskirts of the northern city of Belém this November.
The major highway will do-doubt facilitate access to the major conference, which will be attended by hundreds of world leaders including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William on behalf of his father King Charles.
Footage from the controversial project shows machines and workers laying tarmac on the road that has been designed to ease congestion into the city ahead of the summit at the Hangar Convention and Fair Centre of the Amazon.
In August, local media reported that the project was 70 percent complete, after work began in June last year.
The motorway, known as Avenida Liberdade, has sparked furious reactions among conservationists and locals, who have argued that the deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate conference.
A section of the highway cuts through what is designated as a protected area, home to about 800 species of plants and fungi.
As the Amazon rainforest absorbs an enormous amount of carbon and hosts extraordinary biodiversity, the project has been criticised for contributing to global warming and damaging wildlife.
'Animals are being run over, açaí and peach palm production has declined, and real estate speculation is already hitting the door,' local resident Vanuza Cardoso, from the Abacatal community, told InfoAmazonia.
A new six-lane motorway bulldozing through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is set to be completed as preparations for the COP30 climate summit get underway
Images show the eight-mile highway cutting through swathes of lush forest greenery, as the Brazilian government prepares to host more than 50,000 people in the outskirts of the northern city of Belém this November
Footage from the controversial project shows machines and workers laying tarmac on the road that has been designed to ease congestion into the city ahead of the major summit
Claudio Verequete, who lives around 200m from the highway, said the new road has 'destroyed' everything.
'Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family,' he told the BBC.
Claudio explained that he has received no compensation from the state government and is worried that the road's construction will lead to more deforestation.
He expressed concern that the highway will spur further development - a trend seen many times in other parts of the world's richest biological reservoir.
'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.'
There are also fears that the local's community will not be connected to the major road due to the walls on either side.
'For us who live on the side of the highway, there will be no benefits. There will be benefits for the trucks that will pass through. If someone gets sick, and needs to go to the centre of Belém, we won't be able to use it,' he added.
No 10's announcement that Starmer would fly to Belém comes after weeks of speculation that he would not attend the conference between November 10 - 21.
Aides had advised the prime minister to skip the conference in light of criticism that he spends too much time outside the country.
The construction of the highway comes amid wider environmental challenges in the Amazon.
In August 2024, devastating fires swept across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland, and even Sao Paulo - many of them started deliberately to clear land for deforestation and pasture management.
At the same time, the Amazon River plunged to record lows for the second consecutive year, forcing governments to declare states of emergency and distribute food and water to affected communities.
A key tributary of the river in Brazil fell to its lowest recorded levels.
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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (C) is pictured before putting fertilizer on a Samauma tree (Ceiba pentandra), typical of the Amazon rainforest
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (R) and Para Governor Helder Barbalho visit the area of Parque da Cidade, the venue that will host the activities of the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in Belem
The construction of the highway was first mooted by the state government of Pará more than a decade ago, but the plans had been shelved due to environmental concerns.
The project was revived along with around 30 infrastructure plans ahead of COP30, including new hotels, the expansion of the airport and the redevelopment of the city's port for cruise ships.
Politicians have touted the 'sustainable' credentials of the motorway, including 34 wildlife crossings, the protection of native vegetarian with fencing, the fact that it will be flanked with cycle lanes, and the use of solar-powered LED lighting.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defended the project, saying the summit will be 'a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon.'
Meanwhile, Adler Silveira, the state government's infrastructure secretary, described the highway as an 'important mobility intervention' and a 'sustainable highway'.
He added the motorway was necessary ahead of summit in order to 'prepare' and 'modernise' the city, so 'we can have a legacy for the population and, more importantly, serve people for COP30 in the best possible way,' he told the BBC.
Moreover, developers said plans for the road include two bridges and four viaducts, facilitating the passage of local communities.
Climate summits have come under increasing scrutiny for their environmental impact - particularly the use of private jets by world leaders and corporate executives who were accused of 'blatant hypocrisy'.
The UK is handing over the baton on the COP summits to Egypt, having hosted the 26th gathering in Glasgow last year
At COP28 in Dubai, a staggering 291 private flights were linked to the event, generating an estimated 3,800 tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 500 people.
Alethea Warrington, head of energy, aviation, and heat at climate action charity Possible, didn't hold back in her criticism.
'Travelling by private jet is a horrendous waste of the world's scarce remaining carbon budget,' she told The Times.
'Each journey produces more emissions in a few hours than the average person emits in an entire year.'
Similar scenes unfolded at COP27 in Egypt, where 36 private jets landed in Sharm el-Sheikh and another 64 flew into Cairo.
The Gulfstream G650 - one of the most popular models at the summit - burns around 1,893 litres of fuel per hour, producing 23.9 tonnes of CO2 on a five-hour flight.
However, the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recommends multiplying this by 1.9 to account for non-CO2 emissions at high altitudes - meaning a single Gulfstream flight to COP27 could have generated a staggering 45.3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent - more than the annual emissions of the average person.
At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the trend worsened.
A shocking 65 private jets landed in the week leading up to the summit - nearly double the number seen at COP28.
Of those, 45 flights arrived in just two days as the conference got underway.
Warrington blasted the double standards: 'For CEOs who claim to care about tackling the climate crisis, using a private jet to get to COP shows blatant hypocrisy.'
Despite the backlash, government officials have defended the practice.
A UK government spokesperson insisted that their delegation's flight to COP27 was 'on one of the most carbon-efficient planes of its size in the world' and that emissions were being offset.
Environmentalists, however, have argued that such reassurances ring hollow when leaders continue to rely on private jets - contradicting the very purpose of the climate summits.