DOCSLIB.ORG

Briefing Library European Parliament

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Briefing Library European Parliament Library Briefing Library of the European Parliament 12/06/2013 Belo Monte Dam project: an outline The Belo Monte Dam is a hydroelectric dam setting conditions for obtaining the installation under construction in the state of Pará, Brazil. licence. This was finally granted in 2011, Upon completion, with a generating capacity of despite many disputing that the conditions 11 233 Megawatts, it will be the third largest had been fulfilled. Local and federal courts hydroelectric power plant in the world. The successively adopted conflicting judgments project faces widespread criticism on economic, until, in August 2012, the Supreme Federal environmental and social reasons. Commercial Court authorised the construction of the dam. generation is expected to begin in 2015, with the Brazilian Minister for Mines and Energy, Edison whole plant scheduled to run at full capacity in Lobão recently stated that hydroelectric 2019. energy is "clean, renewable and cheap", and History also affirmed that Belo Monte has the lowest environmental impact in the world, Plans for the former Kararaô Dam began in proportionate to its capacity. The government 1975, with the military dictatorship aiming to claims that the project will ensure the rational build hydroelectric dams on the Xingu river, an use of natural resources, environmental affluent of the Amazon. A debt crisis, protection and sustainable development while privatisation of the electricity sector, the improving the living conditions of 60 million introduction of environmental licensing and people. strong opposition from civil society and local indigenous communities (grouped in 1989 in Financing the Encontro das Naçoes Indigenas do Xingu) Total investment in the plant amounts to were amongst the reasons why the plans – R$28.9 billion (approximately €10.3 billion). encompassing a set of five dams – were The project will be constructed under a public- revised. private partnership. In 1998, new plans by the state-owned power 20% of the costs will be covered by the company Eletrobrás reduced the area to be companies in the Norte Energia consortium, of flooded and the reservoir's size. The flow of the which 49.98% is held by Eletrobrás. Three Xingu river is now set to be diverted through major Brazilian pension funds, Petros, Previ two canals. The dam and reservoir will impact and Funcef, have a 20% share in the on the daily life of local indigenous consortium. The remainder of the consortium communities, even though located outside is made up of private investors and other their territories. energy companies. European companies are Protests continued but the project was also involved in the project (see Annex 1). declared "of national interest" in 2001. Under In November 2012, the Brazilian National Bank former-President Lula's "Programme to for Economic and Social Development accelerate growth", the renamed Belo Monte (BNDES), committed the remaining R$22.5 – project became one of the flagship initiatives the largest loan ever granted by the bank. Of for large-scale infrastructure development. this, R$3.2 billion will be allocated for social Opposition – including a Segundo Encontro dos and environmental purposes, to investments Povos do Xingu – moved into the courts, with in 11 municipalities in the Xingu region to mixed results, while the Brazilian Institute of mitigate the impact of the project. Civil society Environment and Renewable Natural denounced that no guarantees are in place Resources conducted an impact assessment of that this money will really go to the benefit of the proposal. those affected. The accountability and The environmental licence was granted to transparency of the bank was also questioned. Eletronorte, a subsidiary of Eletrobrás, in 2010, Author: Francesco Pontiroli Gobbi 130565REV1 Contact: [email protected] Disclaimer and Copyright: This briefing is a summary of published information and does not necessarily represent the views of the author or the European Parliament. The document is exclusively addressed to the Members and staff of the European Parliament for their parliamentary work. Links to information sources within this document may be inaccessible from locations outside the European Parliament network. © European Union, 2013. All rights reserved. http://www.library.ep.ec – http://libraryeuroparl.wordpress.com Library Briefing Belo Monte Dam project BNDES claims that investments will directly local, federal and also international courts, create 18 700 jobs as well as 23 000 through including a highly controversial dispute before construction works. According to them, 98% of the Inter-American Commission on Human the equipment used will be manufactured Rights. Locals also lament procedural locally. violations, lack of relevant information being available, incomplete impact assessment and Contested issues political interference in the technical decision- The adequacy, necessity and proportionality of making process. the project are strongly disputed. Opponents criticise it because of its environmental impact, Alternatives lack of consultation of indigenous people and Electricity from hydro plants in the country other social effects. already accounts for 80.2% of the total As for the environmental effects, the impact generated in Brazil. assessment, often criticised as incomplete, In order to meet the growing demand for foresees loss of vegetation and changes in electricity supply, Brazil has many options, water supply. The Belo Monte project would from offshore oil and gas to solar and wind flood a reservoir area of 516 km² – 0.1% of the power and hydropower potential. The Brazilian Amazon forest – and impact on its biodiversity. Energy Ministry has said it chose the Belo The Volta Grande and the Xingu regions would Monte Dam investment due to "availability, receive less flood-water, endangering the cheapness and renewability". The government whole ecosystem, including aquatic and believes that meeting demand with wind and terrestrial fauna. Another environmental biomass energy would be twice as costly, and concern is the reduction of CO2 emissions. even more expensive with solar energy. Using renewable energy is part of the national Civil society laments the unreliability of official strategy to cut emissions by 38.9% by 2020, figures, from full capacity and impact on but experts doubt the official figures and warn affected communities to greenhouse gases that reservoirs in tropical regions can emit and costs. A WWF study suggests that if Brazil methane, a more dangerous greenhouse gas invested more in energy efficiency, it would than CO2. reduce demand for electricity by the Social effects are also under discussion. equivalent of the output of 14 Belo Monte Officially, 5 100 families would be displaced, dams and save R$33 billion. but many commentators claim that the figure Several commentators advocate greater may actually be higher. Several indigenous investment in the field of wind energy, communities would have to be moved, and, including the former director of the Brazilian being highly dependent on the river, might Electricity Regulatory Agency Afonso face indirect consequences: for instance, the Henriques Moreira Santos. He pointed out that decreased flow of the Xingu would reduce Belo Monte is not necessary and that weak fishing yields. The arrival of workers in the area infrastructure hinders the transmission of could also provoke social tension. Strikes, electricity from the site, which could lead to protests, kidnapping of engineers and major blackouts, similar to those which occupation of construction sites are signals of affected the country in 2001-2002. the strong opposition the project faces in the region. A comparative analysis conducted by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in 2011 Concerning human rights and legal issues, acknowledged the need for Brazil to increase indigenous people claim that they have not capacity in order to meet demand. It also been adequately consulted on the project, in concluded that the impact of Belo Monte will violation of their rights under the Brazilian be inferior to each of the alternatives, and that Constitution and United Nations and the "costs of alternatives are higher". International Labour Organisation standards. The government questions the need for consultation and claims to have informed the affected communities. Locals and civil society have in response filed several complaints to Author: Francesco Pontiroli Gobbi 130565REV1 Contact: [email protected] Page 2 of 3 Library Briefing Belo Monte Dam project Annex 1 - List of European companies involved in the Belo Monte Dam project1 Allianz - Insurance company Alstom - Supplier of power equipment Andritz - Supplier of power equipment Arcadis Logos - Engineering services Daimler - Trucks and vehicles for construction Iberdrola - Supplier of power equipment JLT Re - Insurance company Kiln - Insurance company Metso Corporation - Supplier of power equipment Munich Reinsurance - Insurance company Voith Siemens - Supplier of power equipment Annex 2 - List of NGOs involved in the Anti-Belo Monte campaign Survival Internacional Greenpeace WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) ISA (Instituto Socioambiental) Amazon Watch International Rivers Network Avaaz Foundation Rainforest Foundation US Inter-American Assocation for Environmental Defence (Aida) The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Friends of the Earth Conservation International Clinton Global Initiative Movimento Xingu Vivo para Sempre Amigos da Terra - Amazônia Brasileira Sociedade Paranaense de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos (SDDH) 1 These lists are not comprehensive and only include companies/NGOs for which we have reliable references. Author: Francesco Pontiroli Gobbi 130565REV1 Contact: [email protected] Page 3 of 3 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Belo Monte Dam: Greatest “Natural” Disaster of Our Generation? by Shane Puthuparambil
    THE BELO MONTE DAM: GREATEST “NATURAL” DISASTER OF OUR GENERATION? BY SHANE PUTHUPARAMBIL n 1989, in the Brazilian town of Altamira, nearly two decades. However, in 2011, the shallow and traveling at high velocities Ia Kayapo woman spoke passionately to a Brazilian environmental ministry (IBAMA) are often referred to as “rapids.” The Volta gathering that had been arranged by various granted licenses to Norte Energia—a Grande represents some of the largest and international nonprofits. “We don’t need Brazilian construction consortium—to start most complex rapids on Earth.5 Prior to electricity; electricity won’t give us food,” she construction on a new project. Today, the human development, this bend was home said. “We need the rivers to flow freely—our world’s fourth largest hydroelectric project, to hundreds of freshwater fish species, each futures depend on them. We need our forests known as the Belo Monte Dam, is nearly inhabiting its own unique niche within the to hunt and gather in. Don’t talk to us about complete, and the social and environmental river. In fact, a recent survey collected an relieving our ‘poverty’—we are the richest concerns of the past are now the nauseating astounding 450 species from 48 distinct fish people in Brazil. We are Indians.”1 realties of the present. families in the Volta Grande, demonstrating Strong-willed and emotional, the Kayapo the enormous diversity of fish in the river.6 The woman's voice reverberated throughout THE XINGU AND BELO MONTE Belo Monte hydroelectric complex, which is the international
    [Show full text]
  • Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax OMB No
    Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax OMB No. 1545-0047 Form 990 Under section 501(c), 527, or 4947(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code (except private foundations) 2018 Department of the Treasury | Do not enter social security numbers on this form as it may be made public. Open to Public Internal Revenue Service | Go to www.irs.gov/Form990 for instructions and the latest information. Inspection A For the 2018 calendar year, or tax year beginning and ending B Check if C Name of organization D Employer identification number applicable: Address change RAINFOREST FOUNDATION, INC. Name change Doing business as 95-1622945 Initial return Number and street (or P.O. box if mail is not delivered to street address) Room/suite E Telephone number Final return/ 1000 DEAN STREET, SUITE 430 (212) 431-9098 termin- ated City or town, state or province, country, and ZIP or foreign postal code G Gross receipts $ 2,794,151. Amended return BROOKLYN, NY 11238 H(a) Is this a group return Applica- tion F Name and address of principal officer:SUZANNE PELLETIER for subordinates? ~~ Yes X No pending SAME AS C ABOVE H(b) Are all subordinates included? Yes No I Tax-exempt status: X 501(c)(3) 501(c) ( )§ (insert no.) 4947(a)(1) or 527 If "No," attach a list. (see instructions) J Website: | WWW.RAINFORESTFOUNDATION.ORG H(c) Group exemption number | K Form of organization: X Corporation Trust Association Other | L Year of formation: 1988 M State of legal domicile: CA Part I Summary 1 Briefly describe the organization's mission or most significant activities: TO SUPPORT INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN TROPICAL RAINFORESTS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO PROTECT THEIR ENVIRONMENT 2 Check this box | if the organization discontinued its operations or disposed of more than 25% of its net assets.
    [Show full text]
  • Brazil's Belo Monte Dam: Lessons of an Amazonian Resource Struggle
    Vol. 148, No. 2-3 · Research article Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam: Lessons of an Amazonian resource DIE ERDE struggle Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin Philip M. Fearnside National Institute for Research in Amazonia (INPA), Av. André Araújo, 2936, Manaus, Amazonas, CEP 69067-375, Brazil, [email protected] Manuscript submitted: 6 April 2016 / Accepted for publication: 24 March 2017 / Published online: 27 September 2017 Abstract The struggle to stop Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam, whose reservoir was filled in December 2015, has lessons for other resource struggles in Amazonia and beyond. Among the impediments that failed to halt the dam were the resistance efforts of both indigenous and non-indigenous victims of the dam’s impacts, as well as the non- governmental organizations and other actors supporting their cause. The pro-dam side had massive political and financial support from the top levels of the Brazilian government, including vigorous involvement of the country’s president. At the same time, achievements of the anti-dam side, particularly the local grassroots organizations, have provided inspiration for resource struggles elsewhere (although the victories of the resis- tance are significantly less definitive than was thought by many at the time). Zusammenfassung Die Auseinandersetzungen um einen Stopp des Belo Monte Staudamms in Brasilien, dessen Stausee im Dezem- ber 2015 geflutet wurde, beinhalten Lehren für andere Ressourcenkonflikte in Amazonien und darüber hinaus. Zu den Kräften, denen es letztendlich nicht gelungen war, den Staudammbau aufzuhalten, gehörten vor allem- die Widerstandbemühungen der indigenen und nicht-indigenen direkt vom Staudammbau Betroffenen, die von- Nicht-Regierungsorganisationen und anderen Akteuren in ihrer Sache unterstützt worden waren.
    [Show full text]
  • Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference
    Latin America Indigenous Funders Conference Buen Vivir: Supporting the Role of Indigenous Peoples in Bio- Cultural Diversity, Human Rights, and Sustainable Economic Models Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize Berta Cáceres OCTOBER 24 –27, 2016 IFIP International Funders for Indigenous Lima, Peru Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize Goldman Environmental Photo: Berta Cáceres founded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) to address the growing threats posed to Lenca communities by Illegal logging, fight for their territorial rights, and improve their livelihoods. LATIN AMERICA INDIGENOUS FUNDERS CONFERENCE We are delighted to welcome you to IFIP’s Latin America Regional Funders Conference in Lima, Peru. This conference brings together a diverse array of leaders from Indigenous communities, ngos, and donor organizations to highlight why Indigenous Philanthropy offers a tremendous potential to strengthen the self-development of Indigenous communities. Our conference theme is Buen Vivir: Supporting the Role of Indigenous Peoples in Bio-Cultural Diversity, Human Rights and Sustainable Economic Models. This year for the first time we have expanded the conference concurrent sessions into four tracks to meet overwhelming interest in this theme and accommodate the excellent session proposals received. At the same time, the agenda will offer plenty of networking opportunities designed to provide a fulfilling conference experience. Our goal is to bring together stories, experiences and ideas for collaboration, as well as ways of learning about the different grantmaking approaches and how funders work in partnership with local communities, social movements, ngos, and others to advance Indigenous peoples’ well-being, security and rights. It is our hope that, as you engage in the conference, you will take this opportunity to practice the “Four Rs of Indigenous Philanthropy”: • Reciprocity in the give-and-take of listening and speaking.
    [Show full text]
  • Comments on the Perú's Readiness Preparation Proposal by Rainforest
    Comments on the Perú’s Readiness Preparation Proposal By Rainforest Foundation Norway, Rainforest Foundation UK, Rainforest Foundation US, Environmental Investigation Agency and Global Witness Guyana, June 2010 Both the process of developing Perú’s REDD Readiness Preparation Proposal (R‐PP) and the document itself have serious weaknesses and omissions. This is especially true with regards to certain fundamental issues such as the evaluation of the deforestation and forest degradation scenarios and their drivers, the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, participation by key rights‐holders, governance and monitoring. The process and the R‐PP proposal fail to meet the FCPF standards as established by the World Bank (See Charter Establishing the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility). Perú’s R‐PP will not meet these standards unless it addresses the following issues: ‐ The R‐PP must provide a more comprehensive analysis of the underlying drivers of deforestation and degradation, many of which are linked to export‐oriented agriculture, timber and energy production. Actions that donor countries can take to limit these drivers should also be considered. ‐ Indigenous peoples and their legitimate representative organizations are key actors and rights‐holders over the majority of Peru’s forest lands, yet they have not been properly taken into account. ‐ The R‐PP must establish a more comprehensive vision of consultation. In the current document, “consultation” is regarded as merely keeping actors informed. ‐ Despite good governance being internationally acknowledged as key to REDD success, the section on governance in Perú’s R‐PP (Component 2a) is brief and poorly developed. ‐ There is no discussion of monitoring of social and environmental safeguards, or of monitoring governance.
    [Show full text]
  • BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES to BAT for BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT Notisur
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository NotiEn: An Analytical Digest About Energy Issues Latin American Energy Policy, Regulation and in Latin America Dialogue 5-28-2010 BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES TO BAT FOR BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT NotiSur Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/la_energy_notien Recommended Citation NotiSur. "BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES TO BAT FOR BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT." (2010). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/la_energy_notien/118 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Latin American Energy Policy, Regulation and Dialogue at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NotiEn: An Analytical Digest About Energy Issues in Latin America by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES TO BAT FOR BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT By Benjamin Witte-Lebhar Unfazed by entrenched environmental opposition, a threat of war by local indigenous groups, and celebrity lobbying by a handful of Hollywood stars, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is putting the pedal to the metal on a controversial hydroelectric project slated for the country's Amazon jungle region. Planned for the Xingu River, a major tributary of the Amazon River, the Belo Monte dam project promises to add a staggering 11,200 megawatts of electricity to Brazil's grid. Once completed, it would be the world's third-largest hydroelectric complex after the Three Gorges Dam in China (21,500 MW) and the 14,000-MW Itaipú dam, which Brazil shares with neighboring Paraguay.
    [Show full text]
  • On Dangerous Ground
    ON DANGEROUS GROUND EUSÉBIO KA’APOR, ADENILSON DA SILVA NASCIMENTO, GILMAR ALVES DA SILVA, PAULO JUSTINO PEREIRA, JOSÉ ANTÔNIO DÓRIA DOS SANTOS, ALTAMIRO LOPES FERREIRA, LEIDIANE DROSDROSKI MACHADO, DANIEL VILANOVA DIAS, FÁBIO CARLOS DA SILVA TEIXEIRA, SEMIÃO VILHALVA, RAIMUNDO DOS SANTOS RODRIGUES, MARIA DAS DORES DOS SANTOS SALVADOR, FRANCIMAR DE SOUZA, TEREZINHA NUNES MECIANO, ANDERSON MATEUS ANDRÉ DOS SANTOS, ANTÔNIO DE CIPRIANO, ANTÔNIO ISÍDIO PEREIRA DA SILVA, RAIMUNDO PIRES FERREIRA, ZILQUENIA MACHADO QUEIROZ, DALIAMEALI ENAWENÊ-NAWÊ, OSVALDO RODRIGUES COSTA, JOSÉ OSVALDO RODRIGUES DE SOUS, WASHINGTON MIRANDA MUNIZ, LEIDIANE SOUZA SOARES, WESLEY WASHINGTON SOUSA BARROS, SAMYLLA LETÍCIA SOUZA MUNIZ, JOÃO MIRANDA, HERCULES SANTOS DE SOUZA, EDINALDO ALVES MOREIRA, JESUSMAR BATISTA FARIAS, COSMO PEREIRA DE CASTRO, JOSÉ NUNES DA CRUZ, CLAUDIO BEZERRA DA COSTA, WISLEN GONÇALVES BARBOSA, DELSON MOTA, LUCAS DA COSTA SILVA, UNNAMED LANDLESS WORKER, UNNAMED LANDLESS WORKER, ODILON BARBOSA DO NASCIMENTO, JANDER BORGES FARIAS, CLOVES DE SOUZA PALMA, JOÃO PEREIRA SOBRINHO, DAGNER LEMES PEREIRA, DANIEL ACIARI, “CEARÁ”, JOSÉ BEZERRA DOS SANTOS, JOÃO FERNANDES DA SILVA, UNNAMED RURAL WORKER, JOSÉ ALDENÍCIO DA SILVA, SEANG NARONG, SAP YOUS, LUIS PERALTA CUÉLLAR, JAMINTON ANDRES AVILA, HÉCTOR WILLIAM CABRERA SUÁREZ, LUIS DE JESÚS RODRÍGUEZ, ADENIS JIMÉNEZ GUTIÉRREZ, FERNANDO SALAZAR CALVO, GERARDO VELASCO ESCUE, EMILIANO SILVA OTECA, FIDERSON GUILLERMO PAVI RAMOS, HERIBERTO NARVÁEZ HOYOS, DANIEL ABRIL FUENTES, LUIS FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ GONZALEZ, ALFONSO
    [Show full text]
  • Belo Monte E Altamira (Babaquara) Como Fontes De Gases De Efeito Estufa
    This file has been cleaned of potential threats. If you confirm that the file is coming from a trusted source, you can send the following SHA-256 hash value to your admin for the original file. b954a4dad5e970d8553409d25947ca1d72d87df61c7a3c79b0b06cb3267a4873 To view the reconstructed contents, please SCROLL DOWN to next page. The text that follows is a TRANSLATION O texto que segue é uma TRADUÇÃO Please cite the original article: Favor citar o trabalho original: Fearnside, P.M. 2009. As hidrelétricas de Belo Monte e Altamira (Babaquara) como fontes de gases de efeito estufa. Novos Cadernos NAEA 12(2): 5-56. Available at: Disponível em: http://www.periodicos.ufpa.br/index.php/ncn/article/view/315/501 English version: Hydroelectric dams planned on Brazil’s Xingu River as sources of greenhouse gases: Belo Monte (Kararaô) and Altamira (Babaquara). (manuscript). [available at: http://philip.inpa.gov.br/publ_livres/mss%20and%20in%20press/Belo%20Monte%20emissio ns-Engl.pdf 1 Hydroelectric Dams Planned on Brazil’s Xingu River as sources of Greenhouse Gases: Belo Monte (Kararaô) and Altamira (Babaquara) Philip M. Fearnside1 (1) National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA) , C.P. 478, 69011-970 Manaus-Amazonas, Brazil English translation of: Fearnside, P.M. 2009. As hidrelétricas de Belo Monte e Altamira (Babaquara) como fontes de gases de efeito estufa. Novos Cadernos NAEA 12(2): 5-56. Available at: http://philip.inpa.gov.br/publ_livres/ 2009/Belo%20Monte%20e%20Babaquara%20emissoes- Novos%20Cad%20NAEA.pdf And at: http://www.periodicos.ufpa.br/index.php/ncn/article/view/315/501 Please cite the original article.
    [Show full text]
  • 'National Interest': the Depoliticization and Repoliticization of The
    water Article Disputing the ‘National Interest’: The Depoliticization and Repoliticization of the Belo Monte Dam, Brazil Ed Atkins School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; [email protected] Received: 31 October 2018; Accepted: 21 December 2018; Published: 9 January 2019 Abstract: The construction of a hydroelectric project transforms the watershed in which it is located, leading to a moment of contestation in which the scheme is challenged by opposition actors. This paper explores the interplay between pro- and anti-dam coalitions contesting the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil by discussing how each group inscribes the project with a particular resonance in policy. Drawing upon the work of Chantal Mouffe on agonism and Tania Murray Li on ‘rendering technical’, the subsequent discussion analyzes semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and primary documents to explore how the storylines advanced by pro- and anti-dam actors contest the political character of Belo Monte. It is argued that within these storylines, Belo Monte’s positioning within the ‘national interest’ represents a key site of the project’s depoliticization and repoliticization—which are understood as the respective denial and illumination of the project’s location within a wider terrain of political antagonism and conflict. Whilst pro-dam actors assert the apolitical character of the project by foregrounding it within depoliticized questions of economic benefits, anti-dam actors reground the project within a context of political corruption and the circumvention of dissent. With this paper providing evidence of how contests over dam construction are linked to the concealing and/or illumination of the project’s political content, it is argued that the repoliticization of a project by a resistance movement can have consequences far beyond the immediate site of construction.
    [Show full text]
  • Uncertainties in Amazon Hydropower Development: Risk Scenarios and Environmental Issues Around the Belo Monte Dam
    www.water-alternatives.org Volume 3 | Issue 2 Sousa Júnior, W.C. and Reid, J. 2010. Uncertainties in Amazon hydropower development: Risk scenarios and environmental issues around the Belo Monte dam. Water Alternatives 3(2): 249-268 Uncertainties in Amazon Hydropower Development: Risk Scenarios and Environmental Issues around the Belo Monte Dam Wilson Cabral de Sousa Júnior Professor, Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil; [email protected] John Reid Executive Director, Conservation Strategy Fund, Sebastopol, CA, USA; [email protected] ABSTRACT: The Amazon region is the final frontier and central focus of Brazilian hydro development, which raises a range of environmental concerns. The largest project in the Amazon is the planned Belo Monte Complex on the Xingu river. If constructed it will be the second biggest hydroelectric plant in Brazil, third largest on earth. In this study, we analyse the private and social costs, and benefits of the Belo Monte project. Furthermore, we present risk scenarios, considering fluctuations in the project’s feasibility that would result from variations in total costs and power. For our analysis, we create three scenarios. In the first scenario Belo Monte appears feasible, with a net present value (NPV) in the range of US$670 million and a rate of return in excess of the 12% discount rate used in this analysis. The second scenario, where we varied some of the project costs and assumptions based on other economic estimates, shows the project to be infeasible, with a negative NPV of about US$3 billion and external costs around US$330 million.
    [Show full text]
  • The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam and Its Impact on Rural Agrarian Households
    sustainability Article Market Participation in the Age of Big Dams: The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam and Its Impact on Rural Agrarian Households Aniseh S. Bro 1,*, Emilio Moran 2 ID and Miquéias Freitas Calvi 3 1 School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA 2 Department of Geography, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; [email protected] 3 Faculty of Forestry, Federal University of Pará, Altamira-PA 68.372-040, Brazil; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-734-764-2550 Received: 12 April 2018; Accepted: 10 May 2018; Published: 16 May 2018 Abstract: With rapid population growth comes the ever-important task of meeting the energy demand that this growth requires, and many of the world’s tropical regions have turned to hydropower to address the challenges associated with increasing energy consumption. Hydropower is an important energy policy issue in Brazil, and it is promoted as the preferred electricity option, because it is the least expensive in terms of long-term returns on investment; the Belo Monte dam in Northern Brazil provides an opportunity to study the effects of large investments in hydroelectric infrastructure on the surrounding local population. Using a matched panel data spanning 10 years (2005 to 2015), we study the impacts of Brazil’s Belo Monte dam on cocoa and other food crop producers in the region. We find that households have seen a decline in rural employment opportunities, and despite improvements in cocoa productivity households have experienced declining food production. With the construction of the dam largely completed, farmers must now face the challenges of decreased food access and shifts in employment opportunities, and while there are many advantages and opportunities associated with this new development, special policy considerations are necessary to ensure that there are safety nets in place to assist those who will see a decline in access to economic opportunities.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloading and Processing Drone Information
    land Article Grassroots Innovation Using Drones for Indigenous Mapping and Monitoring Jaime Paneque-Gálvez 1,* ID , Nicolás Vargas-Ramírez 1 ID , Brian M. Napoletano 1 and Anthony Cummings 2 1 Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701, Morelia CP 58190, Michoacán, Mexico; [email protected] (N.V.-R.); [email protected] (B.M.N.) 2 School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, GR 31, Richardson, TX 75080-3021, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +52-443-322-2777 (ext. 42616) Received: 2 November 2017; Accepted: 4 December 2017; Published: 7 December 2017 Abstract: Indigenous territories are facing increasing pressures from numerous legal and illegal activities that are pushing commodity frontiers within their limits, frequently causing severe environmental degradation and threatening indigenous territorial rights and livelihoods. In Central and South America, after nearly three decades of participatory mapping projects, interest is mounting among indigenous peoples in the use of new technologies for community mapping and monitoring as a means of defense against such threats. Since 2014, several innovative projects have been developed and implemented in the region to demonstrate and train indigenous communities in the use of small drones for territorial mapping and monitoring. In this paper, we report on five projects carried out in Peru, Guyana, and Panama. For each one we describe the context, main objectives, positive outcomes, challenges faced, and opportunities ahead. Preliminary results are promising and have gained the interest of many indigenous societies who envision this technology as a powerful tool to protect their territories and strengthen their claims regarding specific environmental liabilities and justice issues.
    [Show full text]