Belo Monte Dam construction blocked

[Empty Glass]

That's good to hear. Wonder what Arnold's going to do now from this trip, now that's he's no longer the Governator.

[Human No More]

Wipe out everyone trying to get the dam built?

[txim_asawl]

Just yesterday (Earth Day), Amazon Watch published a video about James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger visiting (in Cameron's case revisiting) the Arara village at the threatened big bend of the Xingu river (I already posted pictures of that visit a few posts before):

AMAZON WATCH

"Following the visit to the Xingu, we traveled to Manaus to the Global Sustainability Forum where world leaders, including Bill Clinton, reminded Brazil that it is responsible for "the stewardship of the greatest rainforest of the world", and called on Brazil to lead the world on a green energy pathway.

"You need more electricity. You need it to be clean. You want to preserve native cultures and you need to preserve the rainforest. If you reach a critical juncture, you'll change it forever and it can't be recovered and the rest of the world is depending on you because about 20% of non ocean oxygen comes from you...The whole world needs you to resolve this."

Unfortunately, the Brazilian government doesn't appear to be listening. After dismissing demands from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States to suspend the dam's licensing process until serious human rights violations have been remedied, the government is fast-tracking the dam's full installation license and seeking to initiate construction as early as next month.

It is urgent that the Brazilian government hear the call from Brazilians and the international community to defend the Amazon, indigenous rights and reconsider its plans for the Belo Monte Dam and 60 other large dams planned for the Amazon. Energy efficiency and clean renewable energy, such as solar and wind, are viable and essential solutions to more dirty dams. The entire world depends on it. "

(quoted from the Amazon Watch e-mail newsletter, April 22, 2011)

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Txim Asawl*~

[redpaintednavi]

Originally Posted by txim_asawl

Unfortunately, the Brazilian government doesn't appear to be listening. After dismissing demands from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States to suspend the dam's licensing process until serious human rights violations have been remedied, the government is fast-tracking the dam's full installation license and seeking to initiate construction as early as next month.

It is urgent that the Brazilian government hear the call from Brazilians and the international community to defend the Amazon, indigenous rights and reconsider its plans for the Belo Monte Dam and 60 other large dams planned for the Amazon. Energy efficiency and clean renewable energy, such as solar and wind, are viable and essential solutions to more dirty dams. The entire world depends on it. "

~*Txim Asawl*~

It seems that the Brazilian government live in their own bubble, governed by concepts of short term profit and prestige, and refuse to take the environmental, ecological and humanitarian reality into consideration. Such a government is a threat to its own country, nature and people.

[auroraglacialis]

They live in the same bubble as all "developing" and "developed" nations live in - they think that their actions have no consequences for nature or if they do have so, that this in turn will not have consequences for themselves. They are wrong!

[Advent]

Now here's good news.

[redpaintednavi]

The commersial powers press on to build the dam:

Brazilian mining giant Vale will pay $1.4 billion for a stake in the consortium building the controversial Belo Monte dam in the Amazon.
Noting that it is already a large investor in hydroelectric plants, including nine plants in Brazil and three in Indonesia, Vale said Thursday that the acquisition of a stake in Belo Monte will increase to 45 percent the portion of the company's global energy consumption met by its own power generation.

And the Brazilian government show its arrogance against the indigenous communities:

Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim earlier this month said the government wouldn't honor an Organization of American States' request that it stop work on the controversial dam.

Jobim said Brazil sets aside close to 11 percent of its national territory for indigenous communities, while noting that efforts to preserve their way of life shouldn't force 20 million people in the Amazon region into underdevelopment.

Miner Vale invests in mega dam - UPI.com

[auroraglacialis]

Originally Posted by redpaintednavi

The commersial powers press on to build the dam:

That part just shows that the electricity of that dam will by no way go to the people and giving them electricity or light, but that it will go to mining operations, probably aluminium smelters. And these things just suck in electricity - surely they would provide some jobs, but the energy that goes into these is insane and there will only be a few Brazilians profiting from this - the materials created by the mining companies will be exported and made into beer cans in the USA or therelike. Much more jobs would be created by building up a renewable and sustainable way of life. I think most workers would certainly prefer if their job is to mount solar panels than to work in an aluminium smelter...

And the Brazilian government show its arrogance against the indigenous communities:

That sounds sad indeed. Very much like in the US - you give the indigenous some parts of the land you do now want anyways and then they better shut up and dont stand in the way of the rest of the people who want to destroy the 90% of the country they claim for themself for their own luxury



Miner Vale invests in mega dam - UPI.com[/QUOTE]