Postcard from Belém
BELÉM, our city of slums and sludge at the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil, is preparing to welcome 150 heads of state to the world’s most important environmental event, COP30, in November.
With most of its population living in favelas and one of the worst rates of basic sanitation in the country, it’s an awkward setting to roll out the red carpet for the green brigade.
The four-lane 13km Avenida Liberdade, or Freedom Road, which cuts straight through the rainforest had been shelved since 2012 over environmental concerns but was green lit last year. It will be opening just in time for COP30, despite the federal government claiming it has nothing to do with the event. The express highway will alter the ecosystems of 12 rivers and streams and drives through both a protected environmental area and an archaeological site.