Hydroelectric dams that kill
Organizations issue statement against hydroelectric dams in the Amazon
On December 6, representatives of movements of indigenous and riverside peoples, fishing communities and family farmers took part, together with civil society organizations, in the seminar “Hydroelectric Dams in the Amazon: Social and Environmental Conflicts and Alternative Paths”. Based on the debates that took place at the event, a public statement was issued containing claims and challenges by Brazilian and foreign movements and networks.
According to the participants, the construction of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon region has resulted in human rights violations against local populations. Two prominent cases are the Santo Antônio and Jirau dams on the Madeira River and the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River.
“Rivers for Life, not for Death! No more destructive dams in the Amazon!” demand the movements and organizations in the title of the statement. The document was sent to the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Environment Committee of the Lower House of Congress and the BNDES (Brazilian Development Bank) and also to Deborah Duprat (Federal Attorney General for the Rights of the Citizen).
Conectas participated in the seminar organized in the Lower House of Congress and signed the statement that was also signed by representatives of 40 other movements, networks and organizations.
- Click here to read the statement in full.
