Two Rivers Tribune | The Brazil trip was a political statement of unity that would link the South American villagers with there own efforts to remove four dams from the Klamath River.
BNDES
Are Brazil's Dams to Blame for Record Floods in Bolivia?
NACLA | In recent months, Bolivia's Amazonian region has experienced the most disastrous flooding of the past 100 years. In the past weeks, attention has focused on the role played by two recently-inaugurated Brazilian mega-dams – the Jirau and the San Antonio – in Bolivia's floods.
Brazilian Judicial Abuses Questioned on Anniversary of Military Coup
Human rights commission hears case questioning state use of dictatorship-era legal device
Washington, DC – Marking the 50th anniversary of Brazil's military coup, Brazilian community representatives and their legal advocates questioned President Dilma Rousseff's administration last week at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights over its flagrant use of a legal mechanism that dates to the country's dictatorship.
Ending the Flood of Megadams
Wall Street Journal | Actual construction costs of large dams are globally on average 96% higher than their budgets, and the magnitude of cost overruns hasn't declined. There is also the negative impact on human society and the environment such as flooding, as well as erosion, landslides and loss of fish populations. Then there are cost overruns and debt servicing.
Megadams Are Dismal Investments
Bloomberg | Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has publicly defended Belo Monte against attacks from environmentalists and indigenous groups, calling it a "social investment" that will improve the lives of those in the Amazon. Yet a study published this month suggests that the government-run companies footing most of the bill for Belo Monte may never recoup...
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Brazilian Indigenous Leader Slams Amazon Mega-Dams
Survival International | Indian leader Megaron Kayapó said, "Which rivers will we have for fishing? The Xingu is our river, our supermarket… We live by hunting, fishing, and planting… We have always been against it (Belo Monte), and we will always be against it".
From Floods to Drought, Brazil's Energy Sector Faces a Catastrophic Year
Einstein once said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." It is evident that the Brazilian government dismisses such wisdom.
Indigenous Leader Condemns Brazil's Rights Abuses at United Nations
Speakers highlight violations stemming from Amazon dams at Human Rights Council
Geneva, Switzerland – In a groundbreaking event at the 25th United Nations Human Rights Council, the national coordinator of Brazil's Association of Indigenous Peoples Sônia Guajajara exposed an alarming disregard for indigenous peoples' rights by the Brazilian government as it rushes to promote an unprecedented wave of large dam...
Profiles: Sônia Guajajara, A Powerful Voice for Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples
Meet Sônia Bone Guajajara, the national coordinator of Brazil's Association of Indigenous Peoples and tireless spokeswoman for the country's indigenous movement. This week she brings this struggle to a growing European public.
Was Brazil's Belo Monte Dam a Bad Idea?
Forbes | The world's third largest hydroelectric dam is currently being built in the Amazon of Brazil. For the government, the Belo Monte dam is a necessity. For roughly 20,000 people living in the Altamira region of Para where the dam is being constructed in the jungles of northern Brazil, it is the end of life as they knew it.
Team Klamazon Returns: Klamath River Indigenous Youth and River Activists Bring a Message from the Amazon
After eleven productive days in Brazil, the group of seven, calling themselves "Team Klamazon" returned to California with an in-depth understanding of the potential impact of Brazil's plans to develop the Amazon, and in particularly the Belo Monte Dam project.
In Pictures: "Klamazon" Brings Unity and Hope
A recent delegation led by Amazon Watch unites indigenous youth from the Klamath and Xingu rivers
My journey over the past four years in this fight against the Belo Monte dam has been intense, but accompanying the Klamath delegation to the Xingu brought hope not only to the local populations of the Xingu, but also to myself!
"Rivers like the Klamath and the Xingu are the bloodlines of every human on the planet."
Indigenous youth unite for rivers
The Xikrin, Juruna and Arara are not alone in facing threats to their rights and environments. Many more monster dam and mining projects are on the chalkboard for the Amazon.
Belo Monte Construction Intensifies Conflicts with Indigenous Peoples
Requirements to mitigate impacts remain unmet; Indigenous peoples call for immediate suspension of construction
Altamira, Brazil – As the hurried construction of the controversial Belo Monte mega-dam nears 50% completion on the Amazon's Xingu River, a new report revealed that more than 80% of legally required actions to mitigate project impacts on indigenous peoples and their territories are mired in noncompliance.
Klamath River Youth Travel to Brazil to Join Belo Monte Dam Fight
"We want to show solidarity in the struggle to preserve and protect inherited cultures and natural resources from shortsighted projects like the proposed Belo Monte dam."
Voices of the Xingu: Antonia Melo, Amazon Warrior
Antonia is a visionary woman who sees what President Rousseff cannot seem to grasp: a sustainable future for Brazil that no longer harms the environment nor people's rights.
Klamath Activists Turn Toward Brazil
The Triplicate | American Indians of the Klamath River basin have been fighting for the removal of dams for years. More than 5,000 miles away in Brazil's Amazon basin, another battle between dams and the Indians' way of life is being waged, and a delegation of young Klamath River Indians and river activists is heading south this month to join forces.
Brazil: Munduruku People Kick Miners Off Indigenous Territory
Terra Magazine | The resolute action demonstrates that the Mundurukú have not been bowed by intimidation: they are taking matters into their own hands and will continue to do so in defense of their lands, rivers, and future generations.
From Altamira to Munich: Confronting Belo Monte's Corporate Profiteers
"The life of our river represents not only the health of our people, but our collective wellbeing. It's not only our future that's at stake but yours, and that of your grandchildren."
Siemens Denounced for Damming Latin America's Future
German technology giant challenged at shareholder meeting
Munich, Germany – Dozens of protestors from a coalition of Brazilian, German, French, and American organizations staged a demonstration outside the shareholder meeting of a leading German corporation Siemens today, denouncing the company's controversial role in some of the world's most notorious hydroelectric projects.
Voices of Xingu: Xikrin Kayapó Courage
"Last year, because of construction, we noticed mud in the water, and the fish started dying. We asked if anyone from the company could explain these effects but no one ever came to explain anything or to talk about compensation."
The Battle of Belo Monte
All about the third largest dam in the world
Folha de S.Paulo | São Paulo, Brazil – Today, the Folha website published the English version of "The Battle of Belo Monte", the first multimedia article from the "All About" series that launched other digital dossiers over 2014.
A Bank That May Be Too Big for Brazil
Washington Post | Economists and opposition leaders say this focus on Brazil's "national champions" neglects smaller, nimbler firms that are developing new technologies and products to diversify a commodity-dependent economy. They also say that BNDES's huge loans are fueling inflation that the Central Bank of Brazil must scramble to control.
Mundurukú Indians in Brazil Protest Tapajós Dams
IPS | The Brazilian government, which is already building the Belo Monte mega-dam on the Xingú river in the northeastern Amazon state of Pará, also wants to construct another huge hydropower complex on the Tapajós river, in the same state.
"Don't Worry, Mom – Go Fight for Us"
Fearless, strong, and a mother of two, Mayalu's motivation springs from her ancestral roots and the dream that her children and grandchildren will inhabit a healthy Amazon, with its rivers and forests preserved and thriving.
Indigenous Protestors Return to the Streets of Brasilia
This week members of Brazil's indigenous peoples renewed their unwavering objection to a series of proposed laws and constitutional amendments that aim to erode their land rights.
Gold Mine Near Controversial Belo Monte Dam Suspended
Mongabay.com | "We applaud the MPF for taking vigorous steps to uphold Brazilian environmental and human rights legislation, putting the brakes on a project that would heap further tragedy on the communities already faced with the disastrous Belo Monte dam," said Amazon Watch's Christian Poirier in a statement.
Journey to the Tapajós, Rainforest Home of the Munduruku
"The message we want the world to know this is that our people are united and we will be even more united to fight for our rights," declared Akay Biorébu, second captain of the Munduruku warriors.
Belo Sun Mining Project Suspended in Brazilian Amazon
Suspension of environmental licensing for controversial project reflects omission of impacts on indigenous peoples from faulty Environmental Impact Assessment
Altamira, Brazil – In response to a civil lawsuit filed by the Federal Public Prosecutor's office in the state of Pará, a federal judge has ordered the immediate suspension of environmental licensing for a massive gold mining project proposed by Canadian-based Belo Sun Mining along the Big Bend of the Xingu River.
