Lifted from eKos’ “Earthship Friday” tonight, editor PatrickZ.

Hey, pagesource *does* work.

Dams suck, though.

The Belo Monte Dam

Hydroelectric power, though renewable, is not necessarily ‘green’. Destruction and isolation of wildlife habitat is the most obvious side effect of these dams. The initial flooding can also create large quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, due to the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in the bed of a new reservoir.

In the Amazon, large dams are particularly damaging due to the high concentration of endemic species and plant matter, as well as the presence of indigenous tribes. Also, while the dam is touted as providing enough electricity to power 23 million homes, there is speculation that some of the energy will go into expansion of mining operations in the Amazon.

Over the protests of both scientists and activists, the government of Brazil has officially signed off on the multi-billion dollar project:

Brazil’s government has given the formal go-ahead for the building on a tributary of the Amazon of the world’s third biggest hydroelectric dam.

After several failed legal challenges, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed the contract for the Belo Monte dam with the Norte Energia consortium.

The Hypancistrus zebra, a species endemic to the Big Bend area of the Xingu River by Birger A

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attempted to reassure those in opposition:

At the contract signing ceremony in Brasilia on Thursday, President Lula said he himself had criticised the dam before he learnt more about it.

“You cannot imagine how many times I spoke against Belo Monte without even knowing what it was about, and it is precisely during my government that Belo Monte is being unveiled,” he said.

“I think this is a victory for Brazil’s energy sector.

“We will persuade them that we took seriously into account the environmental and social issues,” he added.

We will see if those concerns were truly taken into consideration. Indigenous leaders remain unconvinced:

“The government has signed a death warrant for the Xingu river and condemned thousands of residents to expulsion,” local Indian leaders said on Thursday.