You couldn’t make this up. No one would believe it.
In Brazil, a wide path is being cut through the rainforest to make way for a new highway. Why? Because they need a new road for an upcoming conference on climate change and the environment.
As Professor Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit has been saying for years, “I’ll believe global warming is a crisis when the people telling me it’s a crisis start acting like it’s a crisis.”
Newsweek reports:
Amazon Rainforest Cut Down for Climate Summit HighwayTens of thousands of acres of the Amazon Rainforest are being cut down so a new highway can be built in preparation for the November COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil.The BBC reports that preparations for the highway have already deforested some of the protected rainforest.Newsweek has contacted COP30 and the Brazilian government via email for comment.Why It MattersCOP30 is a climate event, previous versions of which attracted criticism for how their attendance from people flying all over the world can be harmful to the environment.Deforestation, biodiversity loss and carbon emissions will be major themes at COP30, meaning many will see the move as contradictory. However, previous COP events have resulted in important environmental policy.COP30’s location has provided an opportunity for investment and development into Belém that locals will benefit from.What To KnowThe state government of Pará has been considering the highway, known as Avenida Liberdade, which is supposed to help ease traffic, since 2012.It has been shelved for environmental concerns in the past but has since been listed as one of 30 projects Belém is undertaking to prepare for the COP30 summit, which is set to see more than 50,000 people, including top world leaders, visit the city.
This is right up there with clearing trees to make way for solar panels, or thousands of elites flying their private jets to a climate change event.
The New York Post reports that some locals are not happy about this:
The state government has repeatedly insisted the highway is “sustainable” — but that rings hollow to locals and conservationists who are condemning the project.“Everything was destroyed,” said Claudio Verequete, who lives about a quarter-mile from the roadway in progress and used to make a living harvesting açaí berries from trees near his land which are no longer standing.“Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family,” he told the outlet, noting he has not received any compensation from the government and is keeping his finances afloat by dipping into savings.Even worse, Verequete said he’s afraid now that the once-unspoiled rainforest has been marred, future incursions further into the land could be imminent.“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.”
The American left would probably protest this but they’re too busy burning down Tesla dealerships at the moment.
Featured image via Twitter video.
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