World leaders, policy makers and environmentalists are currently gathering in Belém, Brazil to discuss climate change. But there is also criticism of the World Climate Conference, or COP, every year as thousands of people travel from all over the world to attend it. At this year’s event, called COP30, one criticism in particular went viral on social media.
claim: The Amazon rain forest was cut down to build a highway for COP30.
DW Fact Check: misleading
This claim has already been circulating for eight months but is currently gaining momentum again as the conference continues. Some social media posts with this claim are becoming more and more viral. one million views,
Among the most prominent individuals to share this claim is US President Donald Trump who wrote on his social media platforms, true social: “They tore up Brazilian rainforests to build four-lane highways for environmentalists to travel on. It’s become a big scandal!”
Conservative commentators like Chris Kenny sky news australia Has used the highway to criticize “concern and moral panic” about climate change at the United Nations.
But the reality behind these viral claims is more complex than posts on social media.
Yes, it’s true, parts of the rain forest were cut down to build a four-lane highway about 13.2 kilometers long near Belém. The highway is called Avenida Liberdade. But, according to local officials, this was not done just for COP30. Plans to build a highway here date back to 2012, long before Belém was chosen to host this year’s conference. However other media have reported that the highway is linked to this year’s convention.
Why is it important to talk about these details?
It seems pedantic to discuss whether the highway was built for COP30 or not, doesn’t it? But it is important because the criticism presents a narrative of anti-climate action.
a fresh InvestigationEurovision News Spotlight, a fact-checking network created by Eurovision News in collaboration with members of the European Broadcasting Union, found that the construction of Avenida Liberdade led to what is known as an “authenticity gap” around the climate summit.
“This view thrives on the poor optics of the event, where readily available media images – of delegates flying private, living in luxury and using motorcycles – overshadow the slower, more complex and less visually appealing work of the actual negotiations,” Spotlight researchers report after analyzing 70,000 posts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “International climate conferences like COP30 are structurally weak because they require extensive, high-carbon logistics.”
The Avenida Liberdade highway became an easy target of criticism because it appeared to be contrary to the convention’s core mission of reducing global emissions. The analysis found that those who oppose climate action are “deliberately turning these logical flaws into symbols of elite corruption.”
People who have shared claims about Avenida Liberdade regularly use words such as hypocrisy, scamOr scam.
That’s why the big picture is important. Let’s take a look at the details.
Timeline of the construction of Avenida Liberdade
Belém, the capital of the Brazilian state of Pará, is often called the gateway to the lower Amazon, where the river slows before meeting the Atlantic.
One of the most important routes in Belém is the BR-316, a major highway that often experiences heavy congestion. Plan for an alternative route to Belém date back over a decade and evolved into the Avenida Liberdade project.
The highway project, which was officially announced in 2020, has been the subject of controversy, protests and even lawsuits for several years. construction began in June 2024,
But of course, the idea of the highway did not originate with COP30, as Ana Claudia Cardoso, professor of urban studies at the Federal University of Pará, told the news agency. reuters in March.
“That project has been talked about for more than 20 years, but there has been a lot of opposition,” he said. “The need to prepare the city for a major event provides the necessary justification.”
The rainforest is protected – but not untouched
para state governmentAvenida Liberdade describes the highway as a sustainable project. it TargetIt will also feature wildlife crossings, bike lanes and solar-powered lighting to reduce carbon emissions by reducing travel times and reduce environmental impact.
The area where the Avenida Liberdade highway is being built is protected but not virgin rainforest. This region is known as ‘A’ in Brazil. State Environmental Protection Area (APA)A Social classWhich allows limited, sustainable use and controlled human activity.
The highway route follows an existing power cable line, where vegetation was cleared before construction began government of paraThey say. This can be seen in satellite photos.
The area also includes major infrastructure and buildings such as the Federal Rural University of Amazonia.
However Experts have warned Nearby Utinga State Park and the area’s wildlife may suffer impacts from increased road noise, pollution and urban expansion.
While the government claims it has consulted with the communities involved, protests have still occurred. In October 2024Construction was briefly halted after local communities demanded consultation. In July 2025The same communities again stopped work, demanding compensation for the land taken and improvement of access roads to their community as these had been damaged by heavy machinery.
Where does the claim come from?
Many people are sharing criticism on social media – that COP30 has led to rainforests being cleared – refer to the UK public broadcaster BBCAs a source.
In March this year, the BBC published a ArticleHeadlined, “Amazon forest cut down to make road for climate summit,” with related Videoat different platformin different Languages,
The article states that “Thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest are being cut through to build a new four-lane highway for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.”
However after the BBC published its story, Brazilian officials denied that construction of the highway was linked to COP30.
event organizer The BBC’s headline was “misleadingly suggesting a connection between the construction project and the federal government’s actions in preparation for the conference.” According to his statement, Avenida Liberdade was not part of the 33 infrastructure projects planned for COP30.
A statement The Parra government reiterated this: “The avenue is a project that started in 2020, even before Belém was selected as host city for the COP.”
DW contacted the BBC for comment. A BBC spokesperson said, “The BBC report is based on state government documents and an interview with a state government official – two of which directly link the project to COP30.”
According to the BBC article, the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Adler Silveira, listed Avenida Liberdade as one of the projects taking place in the city in preparation for COP30, a project that would also leave “a legacy for the population”.
The BBC shared a long extract from the interview with DW that supports this.
The BBC also points to a press release from the Parra government from November last year, titled, “Infrastructure projects by state government in progress in Belém for COP 30.”
The press release paragraph included talk about progress on the construction of Avenida Liberdade. However the press release was later changed and in the current version, which is available online, this paragraph has been removed.
Archived versions of this website show that the paragraph was removed from the middle 13 March And 14 MarchThat means immediately after the BBC story was published.
DW contacted the Parra government but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Edited by Astrid Pranz de Oliveira.