Glenn Switkes's blog

International Rivers is mourning the loss of our Amazon program director Glenn Switkes, a dear friend, respected colleague, and a river warrior of unbreakable passion. Glenn died on December 21 in a São Paolo hospital of complications linked to lung cancer. He was 58.

Please see our memorial page for more information about Glenn.

Sting Meets Raoni to Protest Belo Monte Dam (  Beto Ricardo, Instituto Socioambeintal)

The Belo Monte licensing battle continued to intensify as two top officials in the environmental protection service Ibama were canned after they refused to sign off on a license, and there are still reportedly some 16 issues to be resolved before a license could be considered.

This despite the fact that nearly daily statements in November by Brazil's Mines and Energy Minister, Edison Lobão, who confidently announced that the issuance of the license was imminent.

 

Raoni and Lula (José Cruz/ABr)

"The Kaiapó people, represented by Chief Raoni Metuktire, incensed at your offensive declarations in calling indigenous people "DEMONS AND BACKWARDS" in your comments regarding the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam invite you to be present at our protest..."

Thus, Kaiapó leaders addressed Brazil's Mines and Energy Minister Edison Lobão in announcing a major gathering to be held later this month to mobilize indigenous opposition to what would be Brazil's largest dam on the Xingu River.

Big Bad Wolf (  Archive)

In a portentous voice, Brazil's Energy Minister, Edison Lobão, last week attacked "the demoniac forces that are pulling Brazil down" by their criticisms of Belo Monte Dam. Obviously, a project of Belo Monte's marginal viability and skyrocketing cost cannot stand up to an open debate, but the words of Lobão (which literally means Big Wolf in Portuguese) bristled the fur of social movements in the Amazon who have been trying to get objective information about the dam's impacts to the public.

Federal Police Surround Dam Opponents, Belo Monte Public Hearings (Marcelo Salazar, ISA)

Reports are coming in from journalists, activists, and public attorneys who participated in the public hearings on Belo Monte, organized by the Brazilian environmental authority Ibama during the past week. The hearings, held in Altamira and two other towns in the epicenter of the Belo Monte juggernaut, and in the state capital Belém were marked by strong protests by social movements, by legal objections by Federal Attorneys, and by a massive military and police presence.

 

Slaves in Egypt (  Archive)

During Brazil's military dictatorship, critics of the regime referred to its "pharaonic" projects, including huge dams built as monuments to the despots who lined the pockets of their political cronies. Now, the "pharaoh" has arisen from his tomb, and once again, it was two dam projects, part of President Lula's Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), that were using slave labor to get the pyramids erected.

 

President Lula Meets with Social Movements to Discuss Belo Monte Dam (  Ricardo Stuckert, Presidência da República)

In a potentially historic meeting, social movements and indigenous people fighting Belo Monte Dam met with President Lula last week. Those present reported that Lula promised to initiate a dialogue on the proposed project, and that the president guaranteed in his own inimitable way that that "Belo Monte will not be shoved down anyone's throat." But, how likely is Lula to slow down or halt the electric sector's juggernaut that is primed to push the project forward at any cost?

Snake Oil Salesman (archive)

Brazil's energy minister calls it the country's "crown jewel" - more than 11,000 MW of cheap energy, costing only US$ 4 billion to build (according to Lula's Growth Acceleration Program, or PAC)...or US$5 billion to build (according to the latest official studies by Eletrobrás). But, now, as companies take a harder look at the investment necessary to build Brazil's biggest hydroelectric project, Belo Monte's price tag is beginning to balloon.

 

Sen. José Sarney Receives Aluminum Eagle from President of Alcoa (Archive  )

José Sarney rose to power in his home state of Maranhão during Brazil's military dictatorship. He ascended to the presidency of Brazil in 1985 when Tancredo Neves, the president-elect, died on the eve of his taking office. Now, his position as president of the Senate, where he wields power second only to that of Lula, is threatened by revelations of abuse of power in secret financial transactions favoring family members and political cronies, and even leaders of his own party are calling for him to step down.

Sarney's fate is of critical importance for the Brazilian dams industry, for Sarney has made Brazil's dam building plans in the Amazon and the promotion of the aluminum industry his personal fiefdom. Sarney was reportedly instrumental in Alcoa and Billiton's decision to base their aluminum plant in São Luís, capital of Maranhão. And, Sarney helped the companies arrange publicly subsidized energy from Tucuruí Dam.

Raul Seixas at the Tapajós River Garimpos (archive  )

When I traveled to Itaituba last month, for community meetings on the planned Tapajós River dams, for me the image still remained of the period of the region's "Gold Rush" of the 1980's, when Itaituba was still a small town whose economy was dependent on providing services for the 70,000 gold dredgers ("garimpeiros") along the river. I found that this no longer applies - the city has matured, and has become more tranquil and organized. Now, Eletrobrás plans to take the region back to its glory days - this time, promising that Itaituba will become a launching pad from which workers will be dispatched to build a huge dam in the Amazonia National Park. The company has even posted a ludicrous video, which argues that there are too many protected areas in the region, and asks us to believe that helicopters will beam down workers who will open clearings in the rainforest to build the dam. Let's flash back to 1985, when Raul Seixas, arguably Brazil's most original rock-and-roller, was summoned to Itaituba to play a series of shows for the gold miners...