Joe Rogan initially thought a claim about Brazil clearing part of the Amazon rainforest to build a highway ahead of a major climate summit was too ridiculous to be true. But after his producer Jamie pulled up a BBC report during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcast host discovered that the controversial project was real.
“Is it true they carved out a giant pathway through the Amazon for a Climate Change conference?” Rogan asked, admitting he wasn’t sure whether the claim circulating online was legitimate.
“But it’s like one of those things where it’s like, who knows if that’s real,” he added before suggesting they check Perplexity to find out.
“That sounds like horse[ ],” Rogan said when the topic first came up. “There’s no way they would do something that dumb.”
Given how easily misinformation spreads on social media, he was understandably skeptical. He also questioned why organizers would choose to host an international climate conference in a location that would require such extensive infrastructure development.
Rogan asked, “Why would they have a climate change summit in the Amazon? You’re gonna do it in a tent?”
When the guest replied that there are cities in the Amazon, Rogan said, “But you can fly into those cities, you don’t have to carve out a pathway.”
Jamie decided to look into the story during the conversation, searching for reports that could confirm whether the claims were accurate. It didn’t take long for Rogan’s skepticism to turn into disbelief.
“Whoa, it’s on the BBC,” he said while reading the headline. “Amazon forest fell to build road for climate summit. Oh my God. It’s real.”
According to the BBC report, Brazil was constructing a new four-lane highway through an area of protected Amazon rainforest ahead of COP30, the United Nations climate summit scheduled to take place in Belém in November. The city was preparing to welcome more than 50,000 attendees, including world leaders and international delegates.
The state government defended the project, describing the highway as having “sustainable credentials” and arguing that it would help manage the expected increase in traffic during the summit. However, the decision to clear rainforest for an event focused on climate change and environmental protection has drawn criticism from local residents and conservationists.
Rogan was particularly unimpressed by the language used to justify the project, taking aim at the word “sustainable.”
“I love how they use that term,” he remarked. “Sustainable is one of those wonderful terms you can just throw on things.”
While COP30 was intended to bring global attention to climate change and the protection of natural ecosystems, the infrastructure being developed for the event had raised concerns about the loss of forest and its potential environmental consequences.
“You’re chopping down trees to protest chopping down trees,” Rogan said. “That’s insane.”
