The Amazon in the New PAC: Recommendations to Promote Sustainable Infrastructure

The report analyzes the New PAC's infrastructure plans for the Amazon, finding a disconnect between project distribution and actual regional needs. It highlights contradictions between the program's green growth discourse and its inclusion of high-impact projects like the Ferrogrão railroad and BR-319 highway, as well as investments in natural gas power plants. The authors argue that the New PAC lacks transparency and fails to align with the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAM). Recommendations include creating a comprehensive regional development plan, prioritizing infrastructure in the 'Deforested Amazon', and shifting energy investments toward solar and wind power.

• The New PAC exhibits a disconnect between the distribution of infrastructure projects and the actual needs of Amazonian states. For instance, Acre is one of the least connected states but is the last to be served, and Amapá, which has the lowest percentage of households with water and sewage access among main biome states, is only slated for one intervention in its capital, Macapá.
• The program fails to account for the heterogeneity of the Amazon, prioritizing projects that impact the 'Forest Amazon'—such as the Ferrogrão railroad and the paving of the BR-319 highway—rather than focusing land infrastructure expansion in urban or already deforested areas.
• There is a significant misalignment between the New PAC and the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAM), specifically regarding the goal of zero deforestation by 2030. The New PAC lacks concrete measures or methodologies to assess how infrastructure projects impact these deforestation targets.
• The New PAC contains contradictions regarding sustainability, specifically by planning the replacement of diesel-fired thermoelectric plants with natural gas plants in the Amazon. This is criticized for encouraging long-term fossil fuel investment and delaying the decarbonization of the electricity system.
• The program suffers from a lack of transparency and outdated information. The official website does not list all projects (e.g., the BR-319 highway), and there is no clear information on the criteria for project inclusion, feasibility studies, environmental licensing, or consultations with affected populations.
• In the connectivity sector, the New PAC's 4G expansion is heavily skewed toward Pará, while other states like Rondônia, Amapá, Roraima, and Acre occupy the lowest positions among all 26 Brazilian states, despite their high levels of disconnection.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2025). The Amazon in the New PAC: Recommendations to Promote Sustainable Infrastructure. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-amazon-in-the-new-pac-recommendations-to-promote-sustainable-infrastructure/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. The Amazon in the New PAC: Recommendations to Promote Sustainable Infrastructure. 2025. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-amazon-in-the-new-pac-recommendations-to-promote-sustainable-infrastructure/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=The Amazon in the New PAC: Recommendations to Promote Sustainable Infrastructure |date=29 April 2025 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-amazon-in-the-new-pac-recommendations-to-promote-sustainable-infrastructure/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2025amazon, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{The Amazon in the New PAC: Recommendations to Promote Sustainable Infrastructure}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-amazon-in-the-new-pac-recommendations-to-promote-sustainable-infrastructure/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }