Lula on the road to nowhere?

BR-319: A highway to climate chaos in the heart of the Amazon.

The Brazilian government is sending a powerful message about its commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development as Brazil prepares to host the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30. Central to this message is the protection of the Amazon rainforest, vital to the planet’s ecological balance. Yet, a controversial project hangs over these declarations: the planned Amazon’s BR-319 highway, a proposal that has sparked intense debate over its potential to disrupt one of Earth’s most critical ecosystems.

The reconstruction of the Amazon BR-319 highway in Brazil, connecting Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, to Porto Velho, on the southern edge of the forest, cutting through one of the most preserved blocks of the rainforest, could trigger a climate crisis chain reaction with severe irreversible impacts on the Amazon, Brazil and the entire planet.

During a visit to Amazonas in September, Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, showed his commitment and full support for the reconstruction of the BR-319 highway by saying, “this road will now begin to be built.” He added. “BR-319 is a necessity for the state of Amazonas, it is a necessity for Roraima, and a necessity for Brazil.” But Lula’s ambition to lead on the climate agenda appears to conflict with his own policies and actions. 

Read on The Ecologist

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