Brazilian Judge Green-Lights Amazon Atrocity

Belo Monte Dam Construction Set To Move Forward

Environment – After worldwide controversy and debate over Brazil’s plans to complete construction of a massive hydroelectric dam in the Amazon jungle, the judge made his final decision… again.

The $11-billion, 11,000-megawatt Belo Monte Dam was underway before Brazilian federal Judge Carlos Eduardo Martins stopped its construction. His reason: the dam would affect the flow of the Xingu River in a way that would harm its habitat of fish, which directly feeds the Amazon.

But on Friday, he changed his mind and set the wheels back in motion after the Norte Energia consortium (the company behind the Belo Monte project) persuaded him to believe that its work would not harm the river’s fish in any way.

Despite the judge’s ruling, many citizens are still disputing the construction of the dam – which would be the world’s third largest, after the Three Gorges dam in China and the Itaipu between Brazil and Paraguay.

While the government feels the dam will improve the country’s economy and provide renewable energy, many others disagree – including locals, environmentalists, indigenous groups and some celebrities. Rock legend Sting and film director James Cameron have joined the activists who claim the dam will destroy wildlife and put the lives of 40,000 people in the area at risk to be flooded.

Cameron compared the natives’ battle against the dam to the characters in his film “Avatar”, who are forced to fight in order to keep and protect their homeland’s resources.

Read more about it on Associated Press.