Article by Kjersti Thorkildsen and Fernando Mathias Baptista on Belo Monte dam project in Brazil

Evy Jørgensen

Research fellow Kjersti Thorkildsen and Fernando Mathias Baptista , lawyer at the Instituto Socioambiental, a Brazilian NGO whose mission is to propose integrated solutions to social and environmental issues, have written an article about the highly controversial Belo Monte dam project. In: NorLarNet/UiO.

Kjersti Thorkildsen Photo: Evy Jørgensen

While Brazil is seen as a strong democratic state with progressive climate and forest protection policies, regulated by a modern constitutional framework that recognizes indigenous peoples' rights over land and natural resources, a major expansion of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon are pushed forward in the name of development and as a panacea to clean energy production. The planned Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River is likely to contribute to deforestation, destruction of aquatic ecosystems and violation of indigenous and human rights. The approval process has been entrenched by authoritarian decisions, contributing to consolidate a model of development typical of the dictatorial regime.

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Updated: 30.03.11
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