Tour graphically shows impacts of Belo Monte and 60 other dams planned for Amazon

Download the Google Earth Tour (Courtesy of the Internet Archive)

Sign the petition to stop the monstrous Belo Monte Dam now!

International Rivers has partnered with Amazon Watch and actors Sigourney Weaver and Dira Paes to produce a new Google Earth tour and video called “Defending the Rivers of the Amazon.” In an English-language version available above, and a Portuguese-language version available here, the actors take us on a journey through the Xingu Basin to reveal what would be lost if the Belo Monte Dam were built. The tour illustrates the impacts of diverting the mighty Xingu River, such as reducing access to water along a 100-km stretch called the "Big Bend," where two indigenous tribes have lived for generations. It animates the flooding associated with the dam, impacts on the region’s spectacular biodiversity, and maps over 60 Brazilian dams that form a part of the more than 140 large dams planned for the entire Amazon Basin in the future.

Sheyla Juruna Explains Why the Juruna People are Opposed to the Belo Monte Dam Complex (International Rivers)

On August 26, the Brazilian government signed the concession to build the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River. The government is moving forward with the dam despite investor concern over its financial viability, growing resistance amongst indigenous groups and social movements, and a chorus of technical experts that predict the dam to be one of the worst engineering projects in the history of Brazil.

 Now is a crucial time to take action to defend the Xingu River. Watch the video, download the interactive tour, and take action by signing the petition to stop the Belo Monte Dam.