Dead trees in Balbina Reservoir (Pedro Ivo Simoes)
The Brazilian government is planning the second phase of its PAC or Growth Acceleration Program. While Belo Monte Dam is the jewel of PAC 1, PAC 2 includes the construction of over 50 hydroelectric plants in Brazil over the next 4 years, spelling disaster for Brazil’s rivers.
The Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) is an investment plan launched by the Brazilian government in 2007 whose main goal is to promote large-scale infrastructure projects throughout the country for advancing economic development. The program is essentially a series of public works projects, which include many massive dams in the Amazon. The initiative was expected to promote investments of US$288.9 billion from 2007 to 2010 in five main areas: housing, sanitation, energy, transport and water resources. This was expected to increase Brazil’s GDP by 5% during the four-year period.
