As Brazil prepares to host next year’s annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30, the country’s government is attempting to send a message to the world about its commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development, and in particular its efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Yet, it is embarking on a controversial project that is at odds with these statements: the plan to rebuild the BR-319 highway through the Amazon. The proposal, which has sparked intense debate in Brazil and further afield, could disrupt one of Earth’s most important ecosystems.
The BR-319, an 885-kilometre highway, was inaugurated in 1976 by Brazil's military dictatorship to connect the cities of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, and Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia state.
