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Amazon Mega-Dam Project Bears Uncanny Resemblance to Avatar

They’re not blue, and they don’t have tails. But in all other respects, the communities along the Xingu River in Brazil are living a story remarkably close to James Cameron’s Avatar.

After generations of living in one of Brazil’s largest networks of indigenous reserves, the lives and livelihoods of more than 40,000 indigenous people are being threatened by a massive dam project meant to power several new mining projects.

The planned dam is called Belo Monte. If completed, it would flood an area of rainforest the size of Chicago, destroying the only habitat of at least 10 endemic species, including two species of monkey. At the same time, it would choke off water to the entire downstream Xingu River area, critically damaging an environment and culture entirely reliant on the river system.

“For these people, it’s the end of the world as they know it,” says James Cameron in a short film he made to highlight the issue. “And they’re reacting accordingly.”

As I’ve written about before, most dam projects actually cause more harm than good to the environment. Belo Monte, however, is worse than many projects, particularly because, according to one new study on the financial risks of the dam, the project may actually be inferior at energy generation than the power sources that already exist.

And even if current energy sources aren’t enough, a dam isn’t the only way to go about producing more energy. According to a press release by Amazon Watch, one of an international coalition of groups opposing the project:

“Studies by respected Brazilian energy experts have shown that by investing in energy efficiency between now and 2020, electricity demand will be reduced by 40 percent. The power saved is the equivalent of 14 Belo Monte dams. Brazil has enormous potential for solar and wind energy. Studies have shown that renewable energy is economically viable for Brazil and could account for 20 percent of country's electricity by 2020, compared to only 1.3 percent today.”

Which in essence, means that if the dam is built a large area of the Amazon would be entirely destroyed for no actual benefit to energy production.

This is so obviously not in the public interest that several Brazilian officials have resigned rather than approve the project. Just last week, Abelardo Bayma Azevedo, the head of the Brazilian national environmental agency, IBAMA, left his post rather than issue a license to the project.

But still the Brazilian government continues to push the project. Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Edson Lobão, has stated that the construction license for the dam will be issued shortly. Construction could begin as early as February.

Like the Pandorans, no one in the Amazon is taking this one lying down. According to Amazon Watch, the local coalition opposing the dam, Movimento Xingu Vivo Para Sempre, is stepping up organizing efforts to stop the project. And a coalition of groups from around the world is stepping up to help. Groups like International Rivers and Survival International are sending out the message. Amazon Watch is organizing showings of James Cameron’s film short. And Avaaz.org has just sent out a petition that’s gotten over 300,000 signatures in its first week.

Add your voice to the chorus by signing this petition and help us send an overwhelming message to Brazil that Belo Monte is unnecessary, unwanted and unacceptable.

fonte: Change.org


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Publicada por AMC à(s) 10:44 Etiquetas: , ,

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