Letter to President Lula from 140 international organizations on Belo Monte Dam

Proposed Belo Monte Dam location.

This letter from more than 140 organizations from around Brazil was sent to Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to demand that he immediately halt plans to build Belo Monte Dam on the Amazon's Xingu River due to its immense social and environmental impacts

The letter to President Lula was signed by a group of prominent environmental and human rights organizations, including Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and 40 indigenous groups from across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa. Among its arguments, the letter encourages Lula to embrace alternatives to mega-dams in the Amazon, refuting the government's claim that Belo Monte will provide clean and renewable energy, and showing how Belo Monte would actually exacerbate climate change. The letter also highlights Brazil's failure to secure the free, prior and informed consent of affected indigenous communities, in violation of international law.

• Download the letter
• Read a copy of the press release that accompanies the letter