Brazil's BR-319 Highway Dilemma: Forest Clearing, Progress, and the Ordinary Wickedness (Opinion Piece)
The BR-319 highway project, planned to span approximately 400 kilometers between Manaus and Porto Velho through the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, has sparked concern among climate activists, environmentalists, and human rights defenders. The project aims to replace the current dirt road with asphalt, but the implications for the environment, ecosystems, and global climate are a major concern.
The executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Brazilian government are pushing forward with the project, despite potentially disastrous consequences. A study titled "Brazilian President Lula's climate authority challenge: Pragmatism versus coalition politics" discusses the political challenges Lula faces in addressing climate change, suggesting that the BR-319 project may be a product of coalition politics.
The BR-319 project would put in place an economic process that guarantees continued extraction far beyond the time when the entire world must cease to use fossil fuels to avoid global catastrophe. This is particularly concerning given that the Trans-Purus region, a vast area targeted by the planned 740,000-square-kilometer Solimões Sedimentary Area oil and gas project, holds an enormous stock of carbon. The release of this carbon would push global climate past a tipping point.
The AM-366 highway, planned to connect to BR-319, would open the Trans-Purus region to deforestation, impacting the Amazon Rainforest's water recycling function. This could exacerbate drought stress and climate change risks in Brazil, as discussed in numerous scholarly works.
The overall impacts of the BR-319 project are not fully considered in the licensing process. A "Sustainable BR-319 plan" has been proposed in a 50-kilometer-wide strip on each side of the highway, but detailed information about side roads, financial support, economic benefits, and reactions from government or indigenous groups is not provided in the searched content.
The AM-366 highway would benefit Rosneft, the Russian oil company that has bought rights to the first drilling blocks in the Solimões Sedimentary Area oil and gas project. This raises concerns about the project's potential to contribute to climate change and its impact on Indigenous peoples and the environment.
The article is an updated translation of a text originally published in Portuguese on Amazônia Real. It also references several other pieces of coverage, including "Brazil police raid Amazon carbon credit projects exposed by Mongabay" and "On Amazon destruction, will Brazil President Lula's 'disinformation space' be penetrated?"
Tsering Yangzom Lama, an author and storytelling expert, discusses narrative shaping to change society and the environment in a related audio from Mongabay's podcast. Her insights provide a thought-provoking perspective on the role of storytelling in addressing environmental crises like the BR-319 project.
The article also cites a more recent study, "Quantifying heat exposure and its related mortality in Rio de Janeiro City," and works on the Belo Monte case, fisiologismo au centro do poder, reformas eleitorais, and the Centrão 2.0. These studies serve to underscore the broader environmental and social implications of the BR-319 project.
Hannah Arendt's principle of "banality of evil" applies to the bureaucratic failure represented by the BR-319 project. As the Brazilian bureaucracy advances toward the environmental disaster represented by the plans for the BR-319 highway and its associated side roads, it is crucial for voices of concern to be heard and for action to be taken to protect the Amazon Rainforest and our planet.
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