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James Cameron, the creator of AVATAR, has produced a short new film called “A Message from Pandora” released this week about an epic battle to stop the massive Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon. The twenty-minute short which is a special feature on the AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition DVD, casts a timely spotlight on this real life AVATAR story at a critical moment when the Brazilian government is on the verge of deciding whether construction can begin on the world’s 3rd largest hydroelectric dam project.
The indigenous tribes who inhabit the region say that the Xingu River is sacred and that the Brazilian government is violating their rights. They together with the riverbank settler populations are determined to defend their sacred river and their way of life and are asking the world to join them in stopping the dam.
James Cameron, his wife Suzy Amis Cameron and cast members of AVATAR including Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore travelled to the Xingu River in March and April of this year accompanied by Amazon Watch. They visited indigenous and riverbank communities who would be adversely affected by the Belo Monte Dam Complex. Moved by the parallels between AVATAR and the frontline battles taking place in the Amazon, Cameron made a commitment to support the campaign led by local populations along the Xingu. He also committed to bring this story to global audiences.
“I hope AVATAR fans will watch “A Message from Pandora” and join me in this critical fight to urge the Brazilian Government to reconsider the Belo Monte dam and to encourage governments everywhere to choose greener energy alternatives like energy efficiency, wind and solar energy,” said James Cameron. “In AVATAR, I refer to Earth as “the dying Planet.” In reality, our Earth IS in peril. The quality of life for our future generations on this planet depends on the actions we take over the next decade. There is no time to lose,” added Cameron.
The $17 billion project would divert nearly the entire flow of the Xingu River along a 62-mile (100km) stretch; its reservoirs would flood more than 100,000 acres of rainforest and local settlements, displace more than 40,000 people and generate methane — a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The dam project is one of more than 60 dams the Brazilian government plans to build in the Amazon over the next 20 years.
Studies by respected Brazilian energy experts have shown that by investing in energy efficiency between now and 2020, electricity demand will be reduced by 40 percent. The power saved is the equivalent of 14 Belo Monte dams. Brazil has enormous potential for solar and wind energy. Studies have shown that renewable energy is economically viable for Brazil and could account for 20 percent of country’s electricity by 2020, compared to only 1.3 percent today. Such a move would create 8 million new jobs, far more than the Belo Monte Dam.
The Brazilian government is on the verge of issuing the construction license after a 22-year battle, giving the Norte Energia consortium the green light to begin the construction of roads, work camps and airports. Opposition to the dam is growing within Brazil. Last week prosecutors from Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry (MPF) urged Brazil’s Environmental Protection Agency (IBAMA) not issue an installation license until Norte Energia can comply with an obligatory set of social and environmental conditions. IBAMA’s technical experts recently issued a long awaited “parecer tecnico” or technical assessment on the Belo Monte Dam Complex and recommended strongly against a partial installation license until upwards of 40 social and environmental conditions are met. It remains to be seen whether IBAMA will agree with its technical staff and delay issuing the license. Meanwhile, Norte Energia consortium says it plans to break ground before the year-end.
“With the added exposure that A Message from Pandora brings, we hope that AVATAR fans in Brazil and around the world will take action to pressure the President Lula and President-Elect Dilma Rouseff to cancel the Belo Monte dam. This project is an ecological, social and financial disaster subsidized by the Brazilian public. There are so many better ways of meeting Brazil’s energy needs,” said Atossa Soltani, Executive Director of Amazon Watch.
For more information on the Belo Monte Dam and other real-life Pandoras on Earth, visit:
http://www.amazonwatch.org
http://www.messagefrompandora.org
http://www.pandorasonearth.org
Follow us on Twitter @just4theplanet1
