AMAZON WATCH » Stop the Belo Monte Monster Dam!

ORIGINAL: AMAZON WATCH

Stop the Belo Monte Monster Dam!

We've already delivered half a million signatures to Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, but we're just getting started. Help us stop the Belo Monte Dam by signing the petition here!

The Amazon: A Global Treasure

Rainforests sustain us. They help regulate the global climate and are vital to maintaining the earth's fragile balance. The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest, covering an area larger than the continental United States. It houses one-third of the Earth's plant and animal species and produces one-fifth of all its fresh water.

Nearly 400 distinct indigenous peoples depend on the Amazon rainforest for their physical and cultural survival. At current rates of deforestation, nearly 50 percent of the Amazon could be lost or severely degraded by the year 2020, and the vast majority will no longer be in a pristine state.

With global deforestation contributing 20–25 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, Amazon Watch and our indigenous partners are providing a service to all humanity as we together seek to defend the rainforest. Each of us can take action. We may be the last generation that has a chance to protect this precious gem of our world's cultural and ecological heritage – an irreplaceable source of life and inspiration.

Our Mission

Amazon Watch is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems.

Our Vision

We envision a world that honors and values cultural and biological diversity and the critical contribution of tropical rainforests to our planet's life support system. We believe that indigenous self-determination is paramount, and see that indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contribute greatly to sustainable and equitable stewardship of the Earth. We strive for a world in which governments, corporations and civil society respect the collective rights of indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent over any activity affecting their territories and resources. We commit, in the spirit of partnership and mutual respect, to support our indigenous allies in their efforts to protect life, land, and culture in accordance with their aspirations and needs.

Full Petition Text

Dear Brazilian Government*,

I am deeply concerned about your plans to build the Belo Monte Dam Complex on the Xingu River in the Amazon, in violation of the human rights of indigenous people and other threatened populations, and despite warnings by renowned Brazilian scientists, engineers, economists and religious leaders about the project's huge social and environmental costs and lack of economic viability.

I support the demands of Brazilian civil society that the Brazilian government immediately stop the Belo Monte Dam Complex, and instead:

• Implement Brazilian legislation and international agreements on protecting human rights and the environment, giving special attention to indigenous peoples and their territories,
• Invest in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources to meet Brazil's legitimate energy needs, and
• Support participatory and sustainable development in the Xingu region, aimed at strengthening local livelihoods and safeguarding the region's delicate ecosystems.

Brazil has an opportunity to demonstrate global leadership in protecting the Amazon, its people and the global climate. Current and future generations of Brazilians are counting on you to make the right decision.

Respectfully,

Your Name

* Brazilian Government: 

President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff 

President of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Luciano Coutinho 

President of Eletrobras, Jose Antonio Muniz Lopes 

President of the Norte Energia Consortium, Carlos Nascimento 

Minister of Mines and Energy, Edson Lobão 

Minister of the Environment, Izabella Teixeira 

Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA)