Scientists and environmentalists are pushing back against a controversial, Chinese-backed plan to build a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile), US$10 billion railway across South America that they say could accelerate destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Supporters of the plan argue that a railroad linking the center of soy production in western Brazil with a Pacific-coast port in Peru would be a boon for trade. The railway “would open a new route to Asia for Brazil, reducing distances and [freight] costs, a route that gives us access to the Pacific Ocean and to China,” Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said during a state visit to Brazil by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in May, when plans for the railway were announced. But critics counter that a... [Log in to read more]