Part of the Amazon rainforest cut down for the highway to climate summit

In the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, more than eight miles (thirteen kilometers) of trees were cut down to build a new four-lane highway.

This highway is intended to transport attendees to the COP30 climate summit, which takes place in November in the Brazilian city of Belém.

More than 50,000 people, including many world leaders, will descend on the 30th annual United Nations climate conference this November. Consequently, part of the protected Amazon Rainforest has to be cleared.

The partially completed road now drives a wedge between two parts of the rainforest that were once a single entity. On social media, we see freshly cut tree trunks stacked sky-high in open land.

Adler Silveira, the state secretary for infrastructure of the Pará state government, defends this notable approach to the BBC: "It is a sustainable highway." For example, there will be crossings for wild animals, as well as cycle paths and solar-powered lighting.

(FVDV - Source: De Morgen - Illustration: ©Unsplash)