Hayduke goes to Brazil

The New York Times reports that Brazil has seen the light (no pun) and has decided to move away from “dirty” energy sources, ostensibly in an effort to be somewhat greener than not. Yet, like all “developing” countries (what exactly does that mean?), Brazil needs what appears to be a never ending supply of juice.

The solution? More dams, of course.

“Brazil uses hydroelectric power for more than 80 percent of its energy, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said that more dams are needed. Dilma Rousseff, the presidential candidate that Mr. da Silva is backing as his successor, has also pushed for more dams, including Belo Monte, which would represent about 10 percent of Brazil’s total power generation.” [NYT]

But, as usual, the local folks have other ideas about the Brazilian government inundating their land.

“To build Belo Monte, builders would have to excavate two huge channels larger than the Panama Canal to divert water from the main dam to the power plant. The reservoir would flood more than 160 square miles of forest while drying up a 60-mile stretch of the Xingu River, displacing more than 20,000 people, many from indigenous communities, according to non-governmental groups citing government figures.”

So, after apparently reading Edward Abbey’s “The Monkey Wrench Gang,” the locals decided to take matters into their own hands.

“For indigenous groups, the drying out of the Xingu would change life as they know it. So at their meeting last month, leaders from 13 tribes made an unusual decision: They decided to create a new tribe of about 2,500, and then station it directly on the construction site, occupying it for years, if need be.”

Hayduke would be proud!

posted by Mudd