Tomorrow marks the end of a wrenching election season here in the U.S., one with barely a mention of the environment or climate change, and certainly no proposals for major policies to protect our environment and address climate change.
Hydroelectric Dams
Belo Monte: After the Flood
Belo Monte: After the Flood is a documentary exploring the effects of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam on the environment and peoples of the Brazilian city of Altamira and the Xingu River basin, a tributary to the Amazon River.
Amazon Land Rights Face Greatest Threat
“Not only is securing land tenure the right thing to do, it’s one of the world’s most cost-effective climate mitigation strategies”
Environmental Official Murdered in Brazilian Amazon
Araújo is the latest in a long list of environmentalists assassinated in Brazil. According to the NGO Global Witness, 448 environmentalists were killed in Brazil from 2002-2013. This was half of the total killed worldwide.
Amazon Watch 20th Anniversary Gala
Thank you to all our friends and supporters who joined us at our 20th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday in San Francisco, where we shared food, music, dancing, and inspiring words about our last 20 years and our vision for the years to come supporting indigenous peoples and protecting the Amazon.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Amazon in Focus 2016
We recently completed a 4-year strategic plan that builds on our work over the last 20 years to strategically tackle the Amazon's gravest threats. Considering that indigenous lands hold 80% of global biodiversity, it is no surprise that extractive industries want their resources. If left to them, the Amazon's Sacred Headwaters would become one big...
From Well to Wheel
Unbeknownst to most, oil extraction in the Amazon is not only rampant; it is also expanding rapidly as global supplies dwindle and economic pressures multiply. Even lesser known is the fact that the majority of this rainforest-destroying fossil fuel ends up in gas tanks throughout the United States.
An Indigenous Community’s Battle To Save Their Home in the Amazon – In Pictures
There are currently over 60 major hydroelectric dam projects in the Amazon. The third largest project is the Belo Monte on the Xingu River, Brazil, which has already displaced 20,000 indigenous and riverine people.
Protection of Amazon’s Biodiversity Could Fuel "Fourth Industrial Revolution"
The Amazon rainforest holds the biological keys to kick-start a "fourth industrial revolution" if its biodiversity is protected, said a study published on Friday.
Brazil’s New Government Needs Economic Growth and May Sacrifice the Amazon To Get It
The impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff, coup or not, represents a fundamental realigning of modern Brazil. For some in the country, the crisis is an opportunity. These politicians and businessmen are now exploiting the upheaval to roll-back environmental laws and get their hands on the vast natural resources found in protected regions...
Brazil Judge Suspends Operating License for Belo Monte Hydrodam
A judge in Brazil's Amazonian state of Para suspended the operating license of the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River for failing to provide required water and sewage services to local communities.
Victory on Brazil’s Tapajós River and the Battle that Lies Ahead
Last week, in a stunning turn of events, Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA definitively shelved plans to carve the São Luiz do Tapajós mega-dam into the heart of the Amazon. Deeming the project a socio-environmental liability for its devastating impacts upon the lands and way of life of the Munduruku people, IBAMA's bold move could reflect a...
Indigenous Tribe Applauds State Move To Cancel Brazil Amazon Dam
Indigenous people living in Brazil's rainforest have welcomed a decision by the national environment agency to cancel a proposed mega-dam in the Amazon which they say would have displaced communities while opening the sensitive region to logging.
Major Amazon Dam Opposed by Tribes Fails To Get Environmental License
Christian Poirier of Amazon Watch said: "We have been awaiting such a welcome announcement from the Brazilian government for more than a decade, while witnessing the tragic and unnecessary damming of the Madeira and Xingu rivers during this time."
Brazilian Government Cancels Mega-dam on the Amazon’s Tapajós River
Brasilia, Brazil – Brazil's Federal Environmental Agency announced the cancellation of licensing for the polemic São Luiz do Tapajós mega-dam, the largest hydroelectric project planned for the Amazon.
Indigenous People Protest Against the Violation of Their Rights in Front of Brasilia Embassies
Last week's indigenous mobilization in Brasilia – detailed in the following blog from the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) – came as a response to the current, alarming and mounting assault on the rights of Brazil's indigenous peoples. The Brasilia protest articulated an appeal from indigenous leadership to national governments via their...
Indigenous People Draw Territorial Boundaries in Amazon Homeland
Itaituba, Brazil – Today, Munduruku representatives and Greenpeace volunteers started a community-led effort to establish the boundaries of an Indigenous land in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon with the aim of protecting traditional areas. These particular lands are threatened by the controversial proposed São Luiz do Tapajós mega dam...
Dams Threaten Future of Amazonian Biodiversity, Major New Study Warns
Amazonia's surge in hydropower development threatens numerous species with extinction and puts unique habitats at risk, warns a recent study.
Brazil: Rules Protecting Amazon Under Threat in New Political Fight
Renewed attempts by top lawmakers to remove environmental licensing requirements for "strategic" development projects in Brazil have been stalled. Controversial schemes include stalled plans for the São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric complex – which critics warn could infringe on indigenous lands, destroy local biodiversity and trigger...
Brazil’s New Government May Be Less Likely To Protect the Amazon, Critics Say
"Those who have taken power are backing an explicitly regressive, anti-environmental agenda," said Christian Poirier, of U.S.-based Amazon Watch.
Brazil Prepares to Roll Back Green Laws
Taking advantage of Brazil's present political turbulence, as the battle to impeach President Dilma Rousseff reaches its climax, reactionary politicians are quietly rolling back environmental and indigenous protection laws in defiance of the country's commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Brazil’s Political Meltdown Could Spell Disaster for the Amazon
Under the cover of political mayhem, lawmakers have discreetly moved this polemic proposal toward a plenary vote, threatening to erase Brazil's environmental legislation in one fell swoop.
Brazil’s Congress Moves Ahead to End Nation’s Environmental Safeguards
A Commission in the Brazilian Senate has quietly approved a constitutional amendment that would shred the environmental safeguards currently required for public works. If ratified, the amendment could give a green light and fast track approval to major infrastructure projects nationwide including the controversial Sao Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric...
Belo Monte and How NOT to Produce Energy in the 21st Century
The most important project of President Dilma Rousseff's energy program is also a monumental example of how energy should not be produced in the 21st century. In addition to its high price tag, the dam is associated with corruption and massive human rights violations due to its social and environmental impacts.
Indigenous Representatives Call on GE to Save Their Amazon Home
Jacksonville, FL – Earlier today, Munduruku Indigenous leaders from the Amazon participated in General Electric's Annual General Meeting, where they asked the company not to take part in a controversial mega dam project in the heart of the Amazon.
Bold Moves Block Tapajós Mega-dam and Uphold Indigenous Rights, for Now
In the shadow of last week's contentious vote to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's indigenous agency FUNAI and environmental agency IBAMA made unexpected, decisive rulings in defense of indigenous rights and ecological protection in the Amazon.
Amazon Mega-dam Suspended, Providing Hope for Indigenous People and Biodiversity
This Wednesday, IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Resources suspended the São Luiz do Tapajós dam’s license, citing its threat to the Indigenous lands of the Munduruku Indians, a land claim just recently recognized by FUNAI, Brazil’s National Indian Foundation. The decision could still be reversed by the Brazilian...
Brazil Amazon Dam Project Suspended Over Concerns for Indigenous People
While the recession may have forced a pause in the development of the region, Brazil’s political crisis, which looks set to see President Dilma Rousseff removed from office next month, could change that dynamic. “We are living in a moment of great instability. Potentially, a new Ibama president could reverse the decision.”
Insider Claims Rousseff Coalition Took Funds from Belo Monte Mega-Dam
"It further confirms what we've suspected since the project was rammed forward, in violation of Brazil's legislation and constitution," said Christian Poirier, program director of Amazon Watch. "Today's news sheds further light on the rampant corruption that underpins the construction of Belo Monte. Aside from its looming ethical...
