Tech | December 05, 2010 | 84 comments

The Belo Monte Dam- Destroying the Amazon

source: http://www.amazonwatch.org/amazon/BR/bmd/index.php?page_number=1

Image
JanforGore
How unconscienable is this! The Brazilian government is now moving ahead on a project that will result in the construction of the third largest dam in the world in one of the most diverse and ecologically rich areas of the world: the Amazon. It is to be constructed on the Xingu River which is home to the Paquacamba and Arara indigenous peoples.

It will divert 80% of the river from its original course, thus leaving swaths of indigenous land in drought while flooding over 100,000 acres of rainforest and displacing 20- 40,000 people. Once again we see shortsightedness at a time when we need to see the big picture. Hydroelectricity in areas such as this in an age of global warming and drought is a short term solution that will only bring long term consequences to environment, economy, culture, and also the climate balance of the planet.

Solar energy is the one renewable energy source that is most viable here that will also preserve the environment, water resources and culture of the indigenous peoples who call this area their home. This action will then in turn spawn multiple dam projects all the way up the Amazon that will only displace more people when it is not necessary.

It is heartbreaking to see what is being done to the last vestiges of ecological richness that we must preserve for the future. There is still time however to tell the Brazilian government you oppose this. I will post a link below where you can do this.

Thanks.
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84 comments // The Belo Monte Dam- Destroying the Amazon

  • JanforGore
    • +3
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • http://current.com/technology/92505033_environmentalists-and-indigenous-groups-c...

      This isn't the only one.

      "Environmentalists and indigenous groups have come together to condemn a 15 million US dollar plan for six hydroelectric dams in the Peruvian Amazon, signed last week by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Peruvian President, Alan Garcia. While the six dams would produce over 6,000 megawatts, mostly for Brazil, critics say the dams will flood tens of thousands of hectares of rainforest, devastate the lifestyles of a number of indigenous groups, and only serve big Brazilian corporations.

      "This accord will not guarantee clean and renewable energy for Peru. On the contrary, it will impose a series of negative environmental and social impacts such as displacement of indigenous people and deforestation in at least 5 departments of Peru, putting at grave risk the future of the Peruvian Amazon," Mariano Castro, former Executive Secretary of the Peruvian National Environment Council (CONAM) and lawyer with the Peruvian Society of Environmental Rights (SPDA), said in a press release by the environmental organization, International Rivers.

      According to International Rivers, the construction of Paquitzapango Dam on the Ene River, a headwater of the Amazon River, would impact 17,000 of the Ashaninka tribe, the largest indigenous group in the Peruvian Amazon. As well, the dams would threaten two protected areas: the Ashaninka Communal Reserve and the Otishi National Park.

      The Ashaninka community has already lost land due to government allowance of oil activities and logging in historical Ashaninka areas. The Ashaninka say that they have not been consulted related to the Paquitzapango Dam.

      "The Paquitzapango dam is being planned without a dialogue between the Peruvian government and the people that would be impacted by those projects," said Ruth Buendia Mestoquiari, an Ashaninka indigenous leader. "The Ene River is the soul of our lands, the river that feeds our forests, animals, plants, crops and, especially, our children."
      _________
      There is a connection to the water, the trees, the land and the species of these areas that for sure will be lost should this invasion be allowed. This isn't about being "Modern." Modern societies if they were truly modern would respect the wisdom of those who know this land and the secrets it holds. This is about living in harmony with nature and using it to benefit mankind. The sun, wind, water are all here for a purpose. Indigenous peoples know this. They are wiser than those who only seek to destroy the land for their own benefit. Nothing good can come from it. Diversion of waterways globally is having a great effect on agriculture and the survival of species worldwide. Changing the natural course of a river is tantamount to changing the blood flow to the human heart... sooner or later it gives out. These people deserve to be able to live on the land as they choose. We should be respecting them and seeking their wisdom, not pushing them to the side. I predict the day is soon coming when many more will realize what a mistake this is. My prayers and support are with them.

      And also remember, the Amazon is the lungs of our planet. The deforestation that will take place to build these dams along with the threat to agriculture will only exacerbate climate change at a time when rainforests must be preserved.

    • 1 year ago
  • ayipis
    • -3
      ayipis  

    • these south american natives should learn from what happened in africa..

      when you see a bleeding heart eco nutjob liberal come to save you....RUNNNNNNNN...

    • 1 year ago
  • Richard_Venters
    • +2
      Richard_Venters  

    • We lose hundreds nee thousands off yet undiscovers species when we plunder through natures garden. Give nature the respect it deserves, and work in harmony with it, we have the tools to accept its generosity.

    • 1 year ago
  • ayipis
  • pogschampion
    • +3
      pogschampion  

    • These tribes need to be protected. They know the way of life and are in tune with nature. They know how to live in nature in order to survive. One day, we might turn to them and ask for guidance because our technology and machinery won't save us...

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
    • +3
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • http://current.com/technology/92599011_hydroelectric-dams-pose-threat-to-tribal-...
      This is about profit for construction companies and governments and providing power to rich people in urban areas while tribal areas and indigenous peoples suffer. And I can bet the World Bank is behind it all somewhere in the shadows.... touting how environmentally aware they are as they literally dam this planet to death. But as we see it is always the usuals who support the ruination of thousands of lives. It is par for the course for selfish neanderthal ignoramuses who have no concept about REAL LIFE outside their own bubbles.

    • 1 year ago
  • carebearquest
    • +1
      carebearquest  

    • While I understand the Brazilian government's desire for running water, electricity, etc., I wish so badly that they would understand that we have all of these things because of poor past decisions and that there are better ways these days to accomplish these things. I really feel that the american government should be the ones to step up and say hey, we may have done these things to have a better way of life, but we know better now and would like to teach you so you don't have to learn from your mistakes. I wish I had a bigger voice.

    • 1 year ago
  • pogschampion
    • -2
      pogschampion  
    • carebearquest:

      I know that America is more advanced than a lot of countries. That is why they want so badly to become like us. Think about the Green Revolution. Here in America, we have tractors, chemicals, etc. Agriculture has become such a science that we produce alot of crop so efficiently. Other countries would die for tractors and chemicals, whether or not its bad for the environment. They want to relieve themselves of the burden of starving populations and other problems. Their point of view is: "We see where you [America] are now and we want to be there. Even if it means polluting the planet because you sure were able to do so and nobody stopped you when you were at the peak of your economic growth and success."

    • 1 year ago
  • hhn956
  • JanforGore
  • ayipis
    • -3
      ayipis  
    • JanforGore:

      what can i say. eco nutjobs needs paper to print their "save us from global warming" pamphlets..

      it would serve us better if you would stop "raising awareness" about this (which everybody knows already) to educating the masses on how to CONSERVE..

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
  • 20thsieclefox
  • mik661
  • mik661
  • JanforGore
  • reencarnatedhippie
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • mik661
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • mik661
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • donkeyfly69
  • mik661
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • mik661
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • treewolf39
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • mik661
    • +2
      mik661  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      Who are you to tell them that they should live like us. If our modern lifestyle is so great why do so many people keep trying to return to a simpler life? I dont think that you have been exposed to the conditions of real reservations. Electricity, indoor plumbing and central air are not as automatic as you like to think. Not every tribe is rolling in casino money.

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • mik661
  • mik661
    • +2
      mik661  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      is one toothed appalachian caucasian an American ethnic subgroup? Or how about Caucasion middle aged office worker? They both seem to be having trouble getting along in todays American utopia.

    • 1 year ago
  • Vierotchka
  • donkeyfly69
    • 0
      donkeyfly69  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      i'm not "seeing the bad in everything", i'm trying to not ignore the blatant short and long term environmental damage that dams always bring. that water had to be taken from some community or location

    • 1 year ago
  • coolplanet
    • +4
      coolplanet  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      Um, the Iroquois League of Nations which controlled much of what is now the eastern United Stated maintained peace for over 500 years. America's founders were so impressed that they modelled the Constitution after the Iroquois League.
      Also much of our "modern medicine" was borrowed from native peoples, such as asperin and quinine.
      "Technological superiority" has brought us a world of pampered, fat, lazy, self-absorbed know-it-alls enslaved by filthy conveniences. If the power grid went down for a week in the U.S. millions of Americans would die because they are addicted to a lazy lifestyle and have no idea how to survive in nature.

    • 1 year ago
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • mik661
    • +2
      mik661  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      that is not an accusation. That is a fact. your statement is about one the most ignorant I have ever heard. Native people should just be happy that we steal their land, destroy their culture and demand that they live like us?

    • 1 year ago
  • mik661
    • +2
      mik661  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      Glad the subjugated natives in your area are doing fine. My family came from oklahoma and arkansas. I know plenty about and have been on many reservations across the south and west.

    • 1 year ago
  • mik661
    • +2
      mik661  
    • coolplanet:

      He only knows white mans history. Most Americans educated in the wonderful European white man schools have no idea that the entire east coast was farmed and governed by the Indians. They were healthier and ate better than Europeans and enjoyed unheard of freedoms.

    • 1 year ago
  • mik661
    • +2
      mik661  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      What does the American dream have to do with permanently altering the Amazon river, destroying thousands of acres of diverse wilderness and pushing people off of their land? You bitch because the Feds designate federal ands as wilderness areas but think that it is in native peoples best interest to be subjugated and take their land while destroying their culture.

    • 1 year ago
  • Vierotchka
  • Vierotchka
    • 0
      Vierotchka  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      Actually, my husband is an Native American, and I got most of my knowledge from him and from visiting reservations. What particular Nation and Reservation are you referring to in your post? Where is it?

    • 1 year ago
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • Vierotchka
  • Vierotchka
  • Vierotchka
  • Vierotchka
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Vierotchka:

      Why continue to try to reach someone who obviously will never get it and will only counter with twenty more uninformed, prejudiced, disdainful responses? I'm frankly tired of wading through his garbage here. He only comes in these threads along with the usual anklebiters with the deliberate intent of disrupting, diverting and demeaning the conversation.

    • 1 year ago
  • Vierotchka
    • 0
      Vierotchka  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      I have anthropologist friends who have spent years with tribes in the Amazon, and I have Brazilian friends who are of Indian tribes in the Amazon. I have seen a great many documentaries about the Amazon tribes too, and read a lot about these tribes and their way of life.

    • 1 year ago
  • Vierotchka
  • Vierotchka
    • +1
      Vierotchka  
    • JanforGore:

      Other people might watch these highly informative videos and enjoy learning history from them - it will also highlight even more just how idiotic and ignorant MrMxyzptlk actually is.

    • 1 year ago
  • donkeyfly69
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
    • +6
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • http://www.internationalrivers.org/node/4235

      There are other ways.

      'Brazil's electric sector says the country's energy future hinges on damming the rivers of Amazonia. But the Amazon could be protected and people's energy needs met through aggressive investment in energy efficiency and true renewables such as biomass, small hydro, solar and wind.

      A study by WWF-Brazil published in 2007 showed that by 2020 Brazil could cut the expected demand for electricity by 40% through investments in energy efficiency. The power saved would be equivalent to 60 Angra III nuclear plants or 14 Belo Monte hydroelectric plants. This would result in national electricity savings of up to R$33 billion (US$19 billion) by 2020, and reduce installed capacity by 78,000 MW.

      WWF-Brazil's "PowerSwitch Scenario" would also generate 8 million new jobs through power generation from renewable sources such as biomass, wind, solar and small hydro, avoiding the need to build dams in the Amazon. These renewable sources could account for 20% of the total electricity generated in the country by 2020.

      Other studies have shown that significant amounts of "new" energy could be harnessed by swapping electric showerheads for solar hot water systems, and by retrofitting older dams.

      Brazil's public bank, BNDES, is expected to provide most of the financing for dams in the Amazon. In 2009, BNDES disbursed $8 billion to Brazil's electric sector. Only $9.5 million, or around 0.1% of total lending to the sector went to energy efficiency projects.'

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
  • treewolf39
  • JanforGore
  • Vierotchka
  • JanforGore
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • donkeyfly69
  • JanforGore
    • +5
      JanforGore  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      Why are you so uninformed and why are you so obsessed with people here you obviously can't stand? I think that is really the "mental" issue here. SOLAR ENERGY would provide them with renewable power that would conserve their water and not destroy the land THEY DO NOT WANT DESTROYED if power is even the real issue. Did you not see that above? NO ONE is denying them anything but thoseTAKING THEIR HOMES AWAY you fool. The people who live there who will either have their homes flooded or destroyed by drought because of the diversion of the river due to the dam building ARE AGAINST THIS which shows you never even read this. Why do YOU deny them their right to their homes? Who the hell do you think you are? I suggest you try to reflect on why you constantly come in threads I start to deliberately down them when you obviously have no clue about what the hell you are talking about.

    • 1 year ago
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • JanforGore
  • Vierotchka
    • +4
      Vierotchka  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      These people have lived there for tens of thousands of years - don't you think they have long adapted to the conditions? It is painfully obvious that you know absolutely nothing about how they live, nor about the seasonal variations of the Amazon River and the vital role its seasonal floods actually play for the survival of the forest, its fauna and the tribes living there.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • donkeyfly69
  • Vierotchka
    • +2
      Vierotchka  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      I've got news for you - there is no "spring" in the Amazon, only the wet and the dry season. There are no flash floods in the Amazon, and the Indians know exactly how and when to cultivate their crops which consist mainly and even exclusively of manioc. Also, they seldom fish from boats but use bows and arrows and spears to catch their fish, and also use the sap of certain lianas to paralyze the fish and simply pluck them from the surface. Your ignorance is stupendous!

    • 1 year ago
  • lucidlyacting56
    • +2
      lucidlyacting56  
    • MrMxyzptlk:

      It has nothing to do with whether or not we can stand their living conditions. I don't see how you assume you know what is best for these people. If they wanted to be civilized/ industrialized it would not be a long walk from where they are. They consciously make the decision to self-sustain and they enjoy life to the fullest this way. The fact that you know you would loathe life, if you were placed in their situation has nothing to do with people infringing on their home, and altering the environment without so much as a word of communication with those that inhabit the places they are destructing.

    • 1 year ago
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