The United Nations is gearing up for its 2025 Climate Change Conference, COP30, in Belém, Brazil. Yet the prep work is anything but green. A four-lane highway is carving through the protected Amazon rainforest to ease travel for over 50,000 attendees, including world leaders. Conservatives call it a sham, the carbon footprint is already colossal.
The BBC reports that eight miles of rainforest have been razed for this road. Logs now pile high where trees once stood, soaking up a quarter of the planet’s land-absorbed CO2. Construction kicked off June 15, 2024, slicing through the 18,427-acre Belém Environmental Protection Area, per Mongabay. Republicans scoff, it’s a climate summit gutting nature.
State officials like Infrastructure Secretary Adler Silveira spin it sweet. Back in 2012, they promised to respect environmental laws and local wildlife. Now they tout solar lights and bike lanes as “sustainable” perks. Conservatives aren’t buying it, you don’t save the planet by bulldozing its lungs.
The hypocrisy runs deep. Brazil’s summit chief, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, wrote Monday that “COP30 will be the first to undeniably take place at the epicenter of the climate crisis.” He praised forests as vital for greenhouse gas removal—yet they’re chopping them down. Republicans say it’s peak elite nonsense.
Environmentalists are livid too. Daniela Dias de Souza from SOS Amazônia told Mongabay this road opens doors to illegal logging and trafficking. “Deforestation tends to become increasingly stronger along roads,” she warned. Conservatives nod, it’s not just a highway—it’s a Pandora’s box for more ruin.
Locals feel the sting. The state’s wanted this since 2012, shelved for green concerns until COP30 handed them an excuse. Now, 50,000 jet-setters get a smooth ride while the forest bleeds. Republicans argue it’s Biden-style waste redux—Trump’s 89 orders in 50 days slashed crossings, not trees.
Pará Gov. Hedler Barbalho sold it big at the UN last year. He promised “the most extraordinary experience” on “the floor of the Amazon.” Instead, it’s a paved mockery. Conservatives ask, why not Zoom it? Save the jet fuel and trees—summits don’t need to gut the earth.
The Amazon’s no small loss. It’s a global carbon sink, and this cut mocks every COP30 sermon. Posts on X blast it—“Climate clowns at work!”—while Trump’s 82 percent speech approval last week shows who’s trusted to lead. Republicans say this is liberal greenwashing unmasked.
Scientists see disaster looming. The highway splits ecosystems, choking wildlife movement. Corrêa do Lago’s own words haunt him, “reverse deforestation” rings hollow as diggers roll. Conservatives bet this summit’s legacy won’t be solutions—just more stumps and excuses.
America’s done with this farce. Trump’s crew knows real wins—tariffs, borders, not forest-trashing photo ops. Republicans stand firm, COP30’s preaching protection while paving paradise, and conservatives won’t let this eco-hypocrisy slide quietly into the night.
