Associated Press
In an unusual action, a Brazilian federal court halted progress on a project to pave a dirt highway that connects the major city of Manaus to populous regions, ruling it likely will contribute to climate change. The court suspended on Wednesday a key environmental permit after the Climate Observatory — a network of 107 environmental, civil society and academic groups — argued that the preliminary permit could lead to mass clearing of pristine rainforest. Amazon deforestation is the major source of Brazil's climate-changing carbon emissions, and most of it occurs along roads, where access is easier and land value is higher.