Gegen den Bau von "Belo Monte"

Bau von "Belo Monte’ vernichtet Lebensraum und Existenzgrundlage am Xingu!



Das Wasserkraftwerksbau "Belo Monte" am Nebenfluss des Amazonas wird zur Gefahr für Mensch und Umwelt. Auch Europa darf nicht tatenlos zusehen!

Bischof Erwin Kräutler, 1980 Bischof der Diözese XINGU, bekannt durch seinen Einsatz für die Armen und Unterdrückten, berichtete vor kurzem anlässlich eines Besuches in Österreich über die zu erwartenden verheerenden Folgen des gigantischen Wasserkraftprojektes: Vertreibung der einheimischen Menschen, Vernichtung des Regenwaldes und Raub der Existenzgrundlage der indigenen Völker.
Er verweist auf die Bedeutung des Amazonasgebietes für den ganzen Planeten, weshalb auch die EU nicht tatenlos bleiben darf.

Für Dom Erwin ist es Aufgabe der internationalen Bewegungen, die Bedeutung Amazoniens für unseren Planeten aufzuzeigen.

Richten Sie Ihren Appell an die zuständige EU Politikerin Caterine Ashton:
Catherine.Ashton @ ec.europa.eu

Baroness Catherine Ashton
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Dear Madam,
As you know, back in the eighties the former Brazilian Government had planned to build a dam in the Amazonas area at the river Xingu. Thanks to national and international protests, this ruinous project has been stopped.

Unfortunately, this project has been actualized most recently. Along the river Xingu a whole series of power plants is being projected. For the first of them, Belo Monte, the Brazilian government has already announced the building permission.

The building permission has been granted without discussion with the concerned indigenous communities (which means against federal law, as only 4 out of 27 have been hold) and against the promise of President Lula de Silva not to do anything against the will of the native population at the Xingu. Several Brazilian laws would be violated.

The dam project would destroy about 400 km2 of rain forest. Large amounts of these forests are protected areas. Moreover approximately 30.000 people would have to leave their land. The Kayapos and other native Indian communities would be exterminated.

The destruction of the rain forest would have also consequences for the green house effect. This would be increased by the production of methane gas in the water reservoir. Methane gas is approximately 30 times more active than carbon dioxide.

However, even the economic usefulness of this project is heavily disputed. Because of the fluctuation of the water level, the fuel capacity of the power plant would be reached only during the rain period. During the dry period only 10% of the nominal capacity could be produced. To guarantee a year-round flow of water more dams would be constructed upstream and additional 6.140 km2 of rain forest would be covered. Brazilian scientists have pointed out that Brasilia is especially suited for alternative energy production, such as solar energy

The indigenous population and their families, various national Brazilian and international institutions are engaged against the dam project Belo Monte. Many citizens of the European Union are concerned and worried and feel responsible for the environment.

Therefore I ask you to do everything possible that the head of the European Union notice the concerns of its citizens, acknowledge the responsibility for future generations and are engaged against this ruinous dam project. We ask you therefore to support these concerns and state protests against the project ’Belo Monte” seriously with the Brazilian government and demands compliance with the laws.

Yours sincerely,