As Brazil’s Para state prepares to host the COP30 Climate Summit in 2025, it also presents a stark contrast between the past and future of mining in the Amazon.
On one hand, the legendary Serra Pelada gold rush of the 1980s, and on the other, the world’s largest open-pit iron mine, Carajás. At that time, thousands of miners, known as “garimpeiro”, searched for riches with their pickaxes; Today, Vale company is revolutionizing mining with driverless trucks and artificial intelligence.
Vale plans to invest 70 billion reais ($13 billion) between 2025–2030 and aims for up to 15% more efficiency thanks to this technology. The company also emphasizes sustainable mining by pledging to protect 800,000 hectares of forest.
However, in many parts of the Amazon, illegal gold mining still causes deforestation and mercury pollution.
In Serra Pelada, some miners have not yet given up on their dream of wealth, which they started in the 1980s.Once known as the “queen of metals,” Serra Pelada has now been replaced by AI-powered Carajás, but the Brazilian Amazon remains a symbol of the struggle between natural resources and environmental responsibility.
