Belo Monte's Case_ Ethics_rev RLM

8/6/2019 Belo Monte's Case_ Ethics_rev RLM

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The Belo Montes Case in Brazil: a dilemma between the future and

the forest

Introduction

This paper aims to analyze a landmark case on the issue of sustainability, located in anational or global scenario, considering its repercussions in the media, and differentapproaches, interpretations and applications of the concepts of environmental ethics.

The case chosen is happening in Brazil, and is the project of implementing theconstruction of the Belo Monte hHydroelectric power pPlant,in located in the region ofthe region of the Xingu River, in Brazils AmazoniaAmazon. This example is bothemblematic and controversial because it is a controversy that has been going on forabout 30 years, in a dispute between the government and civil society organizations inthe region, which now approaches its final outcome, after gaining great prominence innational and international media this year..

It is a controversial and complex case, with many differences of opinion, which thisyear gained great prominence in national and international media. The purpose of this

paper is to analyzestudy the content and depth of this debate and theits possiblerepercussions of events, towards the understanding and practice of environmentalethics.

Context

Brazil is in theis located at the middle-eastern South America and has borders with allSouth American countries, except for Ecuador and Chile. It has most of its territory(8,514,876 km2) in the intertropical zone (92%),and is also the largest country in SouthAmericathe continent and fifth in the world (IBGE, 2010).

Although among one ofthe five most populous countries ion the planet (estimated 190million people), theis country is amonghas one ofthe lowest population densities. Evenconsidering the concentration of people along its coast, there are still many gaps in the

field population (IBGE, 2010). With an average of22.31personper square kilometer,the vast majority of its inhabitants live in urban centers, mostly in the Southeast (42%)and Northeast (28%) of the country (2008, PNAD). Brazil is a democratic country and afederation of 26 states with space and great growthpotential for growth.

Theis country has a strategic position in the planet's environment, for beingsince itamongis among the five countries with the highest biodiversity and has around 20% ofthe fauna and flora of the planet (2008, Secretariat of Biodiversity and Forests Ministryof Environment). Among Compared with the nine biomes existing in the country, theAmazon is the most important and occupies 49.29% of its territory (2004, IBGE).

Besides this natural wealth, in recent years, Brazil has regained the pathcourse ofeconomic growthexpansion, reaching an annual growth average of 4.5% and in 2009


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has beenand ranked as the sixth largest economy in the world (2009, World Bank), withprojections that pointprojections pointing to an improving improvement in this thatposition in the coming years. Today, Brazil has the greatest potential for economicgrowth in the next decades, if compared to the other countries which are part of the isseen as an international community of emerging economies.with the greatest potential

for growth in the coming decades. However, Tthe deficit of infrastructure, however,especially with regard toregarding power generation, could compromise thesethat

predictions.

In 2009, Brazil was considered a leading of global investorment in clean energy,according to the second report of the United Nations Program for the Environment,UNEP, where it is pointed out that 46% of all energy consumed in this country comesfrom clean sources, mainly coming from generating renewable energy from hydropower

plants.

Strengthened Stimulatedby this achievement and from its high popularity, the Brazilian

government decideds to tackle the country's energy deficit deciding with the urgentconstruction of Belo Monte hydropowerelectric plant. Besides solving the energy

problem, the government hopes that this plant is alsothis turns out to be a milestone foreconomic growth in the North, by broadening the perspective of new businesss andoffering thousands of jobs. Belo Monte is now one of the priority projects of the GrowthAcceleration Program (PAC) of the current government, adding even the pretensemoreto the expectation of being the third largest dam in the world.

HoweverNevertheless, Belo Monte will be placed in the region of the Xingu Rriver(Amazon), near the town of Altamira, Par West and 740 km from Bethlehem, an areainhabited by indigenous communities and ownerholderof a biodiversity flora and faunawhich representsmeans about 10% ofthe species ion the Earth (2009, WWF), due to itsclimatic conditions (equatorial) and its extensive coverage by forests. So in defense ofIn the attempt to defend this area, and against the project, many voices questions wereraised from the local community, environmental organizations and indigenous peoples.For Carlos Rittl, coordinator of Greenpeace Climate Campaign in Brazil, generating

power for the Amazon must prioritize the use of sources of clean and renewable energy.and states that Also, he affirms that power plants do not generate clean energy,contradicting the view of the report of the United Nations for the EnvironmentProgram,. andHe justifies that in a project such likeas this, vast areas of forest areflooded, and consequently, millions of tons of greenhouse gases are emitted thrown into

the atmosphere, exacerbating the problem of global warming, with catastrophic effecton the forest, its biodiversity and local communities. Thus, the race restarts , as well asand the contradictions surrounding this project.

The surveys about the potential power generation of the Xingu Basin began in the19'70s.,and Iin the following decade, had forecast the construction of six power plantsin this region, including Belo Monte, was forecasted by the government. After protests

by indigenous leaders and environmentalists, the project was redesigned andreintroduced in 1994, providing with significant reductions of the inundation area andavoiding the flooding of Indian landsreserves. After a series of comings and goings, inthe 2008, the National Energy Policy Council determined that Belo Monte's plant would

be the one to exploit the energy potential of the Xingu River. After all these changes,the current Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, believes the project has reached a stage


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more satisfactory stage, from athe environmental point of view, compared to theoriginal one, that foresaw the construction of four plants and a flooded area of 1500 sq.km, which wouldbe impossible forextinguish the possibility ofany kind of life in theregion. The new project intendsaims to flood a third of the area.

However There are contradictory opinions are divided and the debate iscontroversialpolemical and passionate on both sides - for and against. Environmentalistscondemn the project, claiming that the work will provoke strong environmental impact s,damaging the natural systems of the region and rendering the life of the local population(18 indigenous communities), located on the banks of the Xingu River. Besides thediversion of the river and the forest destruction around them, the dam still devastate aregion with 174 fish species, 387 reptile species, 440 bird species, and 259 mammalspecies, including endemic species (which occur only in thise region ), and otherthreatened species (Envolverde, 2010). On the other side of the debate, politicians and

businessmen arguing move to defend not only the need for power generation at low costto support the projected economic growth in the country in the coming years,butbesides

generating new jobs and a new economic reality for that state.

Despite the protests and lawsuits against the building of the dam, under acontroversialgreat government pressure, in February 2010, IBAMA (Brazilian Instituteof Environment and Natural Resources) granteds the Preliminary License for theconstruction of the plant, which imposed 40 socioeconomic and environmentalconditions that will drive a sustainability plan for the region, in order to offset theenvironmental impacts. The intention is that entrepreneurs takes on a projectcommitment: the adoption of conservation areas, improvement of living conditions ofthe affected population, forest monitoring, and preparing a conservation plan for aquaticand terrestrial ecosystems in the region surrounding the dam. The companies behind theventure will invest about $ 1.5 billion in thisat plan for sustainability, and if there isnoncompliance with the conditions, IBAMA and the Environment Ministry promises tosuspend the license immediately. The total amount to be invested in the enterpriseconstruction as a whole is estimated at $ 30 billion.

Media's Debate

The revival of Monte Belo initiateds a series of legal battles against the PublicProsecutor in 2010, and the debate comespackaged in thefull of heated emotions fromelectoral contest for president, where two former government ministers, Marina Silva

(Environment) and Dilma Russef (Minas and Energy), are were among the leadingcandidates in the first round of elections. This issue's debate heated up the first round ofelections.

During this period, Belo Montes case was taking direction markedly political andeconomic. The Brazilian media polarized the discussion and played a smokescreen overthe major environmental issues which needed to be discussed through this project. Thiswas clearly revealed by analytical reading of Belo Monte's case from two largestnewspapers: Folha de S. Paulo and O Globo. This reading was done ion twonewspapers sites whereof 200-related news event Belo Monte (100 from eachnewspaper), werepublished from January to November this year. The purpose was to

observe the frequency level that environmental issues were the focus of attention. In2010, both newspapers ran nearly 832 stories on the subject, an average of 416 per


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newspaper. Among the news analyzed, it was noticed that the Folha de Sao Paulo gavefocus emphasis to environmental issues in 8% of the news, while The Globe O Globohads this approach in 10% of the news regardingabout the plant. In this analysis, onecan also understand the drive need for a political debate with a focus on social andeconomic issues, which was the main argument for defense or opposition to the project.

In most news, these were the most frequent arguments in favor of Belo Monte's plantbuilding: competitive price of energy produced at the plant, relative to other energysources; future demand attendance (26 million) of electricity in the country; the creationof 18, 000 direct jobs and 23,000 indirect jobs and supporting a plan for sustainedeconomic development for the region. Moreover, in oppositethe other hand, the mostcommon argumentation arguments were: the ineffectiveness of the plant that will

produce between only 10% to 30% of energy for the potentialof the installed capacity;the social impact generated by the displacement of thousands of people in that region(including indigenous peoples); contradictions in the budget project: strong presence ofstate enterprises in the manager consortium and surrender of private companies

involved in consortiums.

In news with focusWhen the news had an environmental focus, on environment thearguments against the dam were: installation of the work would cause an interruption ofthe Xingu River in a stretch of about 100 km, and significantly reducingtion ofthe riverflow;, the breach of international agreements (Convention 169 of the InternationalLabor Organization;, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and theConvention on Biological Diversity, which requires the free, prior and informed consentof Indigenous and Local Communities in the case of projects that affect their lives) ;,abeyance of15 civil class actions on the Court against the priorlicense of the workagainst and the consortiaum managers, for violation of Constitutional and HumanRights, since they had threatened the local populations; and, the, destruction ofindigenous reserves and thousands of species of fauna and flora

In addition to a seemingly secondary treatment that the environmental issuethis, fromthe Belo Monte case, received of Brazilian media, in the second round of for

presidential elections,it is treated by almost silence of the two finalistsfinal candidatessilenced regardingconcerning Belo Montes case. With the absence of formerEnvironment Minister, Marina Silva, which focused had aits campaign focused onsustainable development, the other two candidates decided not to take openly speakuptheir cause. According to a survey by WWF, the candidate Jose Serra , used only 2

minutes (0.71%) of of a total 280 of his campaign to talk about this issue, while and theother one, Dilma Russef - winner of the presidential elections, - used only 5 minutes(1.25%) from a total of400 of her campaign on TV to talk about proposals in this area.

Facing a misty context about the construction of Belo Monte and its actual impacts onthe environment, where the interests of thethe discussions were not transparent,Brazilian society was divided between being for and against the project. This may

bewas verified in the poll conducted through the site of the newspaper Folha de SaoPaulo in the first half of this year, where 52% of thepeople were in favor and 48% wereagainst, among of the 22,297 who voted on theregardingon the following question: Areyou for the construction of the hydroelectric hydropowerplant of Belo Monte, designed

to be erected in the Big Bend region of the Xingu River in Para?


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The Belo Monte case is configured complex and contradictory and the Brazilian mediaseemed aimlessly, drifting from one side to another the otherof the question, without adefinedclear positioning about on the issue, neither against or for. Thisat situation

provokes a loss ofa great opportunity to deepen one of the most important debates forthe country's future, not only dealing with the energy challenge, but especially, the

relationship with the environment.

There is still much fog ona great deal of uncertainty in the understanding of issuesinvolving hydroelectric hydropower powerplants in Brazil and it is important to clarify.If it is taking for example the question ofAs an example, Senator Pedro Simon, in aninterview from Veja Magazine (4/23/2010),where he made the following statement "Ican not understand the attacks of these organizations. We are dealing with a newdevelopment of clean and renewable source. Not We are not depending on the euro,dollar, yen or any foreign investment. Hydro is our resource. I think they're wantingtheywant to go back to the time of the caveman". This is an issue that is in the air. ToWwhat the extent to which hydro plants are clean ways of obtaining energy? It is very

important seeking to search for these answers, sinceabout this because Brazil is amongthe countries most heavily dependent on hydroelectricity in the world. With 96.8% of itsenergy produced by about 600 dams and 140 new dams are,it isbeing studieddesigned

bywith government's investment not less of 140 new dams for the next decade (1999-2000 Worlds Commission on Dams), as part of the expansion of national capacity for

power generation. Belo Monte is a real opportunity forboth government andenvironmental organizations to rethink concepts and action's strategies on thisat issuein the country.

Parallel toAt the sametime the discussion is happening in Brazil, Belo Monte takesholds the international media attention as a consequence ofthe support ofinternationalorganizations support and movie stars, such as effort. James Cameron (director of thefilm Avatar), who takes upembraced the cause and madekes a series of interviewswhere he talks about his visit to Xingu. During these interviews, he told about yourhisvision for The Times (4/14/2010): "I'm being dragged into a situation where a realconfrontation, as Avatar, is in progress." On the New York Times (4/10/2010), he notesthat in his encounter, with the peoples ofthe Xingu where warned: ".The snake kills bysqueezing very slowly...This is how the civilized world slowly, slowly pushes into theforest and takes away the world that used to be .". In an interview with The Guardian(18/04/2010), Cameron finally provides a counterpoint for this discussion when hetalked about his dialogue with the Kayapo Indians where he said: "The rivers and the

forests have a moral right to continue to exist, as they have for thousands of years.," hesaid. "Aand I believe that you (native people) have a moral right to exist, as you havefor thousands of years." Cameron has also produced a video explaining about theconsequences of the construction of Belo Monte Hydroelectric hydropower pPlant inXingu region that is running in several languages via the Internet. Despite thesensationalism about the presence of the filmmaker on this case, one has to admit he hashadruns an important role in the debate at the international level, especially when makesit comes to a deeper reflection on the essence of what needs to be discussed in relationto the environmental issue in Brazil.

The BBC also played an important role, in animating the debateenriching the

discussion, both nationally and internationally, when he made a completelybydelivering a didacticinstructive and investigative reporting (20/04/2010) about the


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project, by raising all the issues when was listen to all involvedinterviewing thoseinvolved. This story was reprinted in fullby the O Globo (20/04/2010) and in the Folhade Sao Paulo (04/19/2010), and gavegiving a more orderly way to debate the issue inBrazil. As subtle ands clear, this story can draw a broad goodpicture of all the issues

points involvedimplicated in building the plant, showing the contradictions that

surround the project. The Economist magazine also contributeds to the debate when itbrings , bringing a fundamental reflection for all thisthe discussion, when puts on thetable for debate thatwhen stating: "Ironically, Belo Monte is a project shaped by thelessons of the past, drawn and redrawn to cull the power of the forests without raiszingthem. That challenge developing the wilds and having them too is in many ways,the riddle of modern Brazil. The rest of the developing world is watching closely to seewhether it can be solved'..

Far from the stakeholders and politics influence, seem to arise from the internationalmedia reflections are arising from the international mediasomething which makes senseon debate's setting. Aand at the end of all the discussions seems it was found ,

important questions are left to be answered:. What kind of development model should be chosen by Brazil that could be reconciled aligned with their environmentalchallenges? Where areis the guaranteesdthat the rights of rivers and forests are goingto to continue to exist? How environmentalists can work provoking incanenvironmentalists provoke further reflection overn environmental issues with the mediaand leaders? The radicalism of this debate helps it?

Conclusion

The Belo Monte case analysis, its effects and contradictions presented by the Brazilianmedia and in the world, brings up many questions about the difficulty to adopt patternsin a framework of problems like that this, due to completely different ways of thinkingand to find an acceptable eEthic for all involved.

In this particular case, one side it has a politically and economically emerging country,recognized, recognized in the international community, thatcommunity that seeks thefinal conquest ofhis its leadership position. However, against achieving this goal, he inthe other hand, faces infrastructure problems which wouldcould jeopardize its future.Among its challenges is the growth of its the need forenergy supply to meet consumerdemands which are suffering with frequent blackouts in recent years.

In view of resolving the order to solve this issue, to harness the great potentialhydrological, and with sure of premise that hydro plants are forms of clean energy, theBrazilian government's isare struggling to build the Belo Monte hHydroelectric,

believing to beconvinced it is the best solution to forthe country's development.

According to the anthropocentric view that still prevails in our society, human rightsand security of the quality of people's life are above of rights of preservation of theenvironment. And Thesethose are the assumptions that seem to guide the struggle ofthe Brazilian government for to build the Belo Monte hydroelectric building. Also, itseems that these this principles are ethically acceptable in the world, especially when itincludes the assumption that the dams are within the standards of renewable and clean

energy and clean (2009, UNEP).


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Still in favor of this case, it is alleged thea reformulation of the construction project hasto occur in order to meet requirements of the regulatory environment in Brazil(IBAMA), incorporating 40 environmental and socioeconomic conditions which willguide the implementation of a sustainability plan for the region, in an attempt to reduceenvironmental impacts. Entrepreneurs tookake on the followings commitments about

the project: the adoption of conservation areas; improvement of living conditions of forthe population impacted by works; forest monitoring and a conservation plan

preparation for the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the region surrounding the dam.Examining these aspects from an anthropocentric ethics ruling, Senator Pedro Simon isabsolutely correct when did his questionwith his questions.

Undoubtedly, environmental issues were considered in this case, taking into account theconditions and the reshaping forthe a new project. HoweverYet, this seems to be, frpman ecological point of view, a shallow vision of sustainability,as it is only concernedwhich to be concerned only with people's health, their well-being and developmentandof their economic interests. On the other hand, it is disrespected principles aimed at

developing a natural system which benefits the country as a whole. The Braziliangovernment should not consider only The view that the Brazilian government is takingthis case, includes short-term interests and conforms to the proposal of a supposedcommitment to the environment that, despite being well intentioned, does notpushforwardconsider the changes that need to be made in the itspower matrix Brazilian inorderto address the real needs of well-being,of all beings whowhich will be impacteddirectly and indirectly by building dams like Belo Monte's.

The understanding of those who protest against the construction of this dam is that it isa threat ofan immediate extinction of 10% of the fauna and flora on the planet (2009,WWF), who are in that region of thethe Xingu region.In the words of the leader of the Xingu Forever Alive '(9/11/2010), Sheyla Juruna:,"Tthe Xingu is the home ofto more than 25,000 indigenous people belonging to at least18 ethnic groups, such as Juruna, Arara, Xikrin, Kayapo , Xipaya, Kuruaia, and AsuriniParakan. It is also the home to thousands of riverside communities and approximately100, 000 people in the town of Altamira (Par) - of which one third would will beflooded if with the Belo Monte would builtconstruction. If the project is taken pushedforward, will divert the passage known as Big Lap, a stretch of 100 km which is thecradle of indigenous civilizations of Xingu River, will be diverted, a stretch of 100 kmwhich is the cradle of indigenous civilizations of Xingu River. Such destruction would

be devastating to the Juruna and Arara, because we would be dmisplaced due to floods

and we would not survive without our ancestors' land. Iif the riverwould beis diverted,it will dry up, and what will happen with Pakisamba Village, where my brothers andsisters Juruna depend on the river for fishing and transport.''.

In this a leader's statement, it would be seen the understanding that those communitiesare 'embedded' in the natural processes that region and are dependent on these

processes. These values are evidently part of ecocentric thinking. The region has anetwork of communities (including people, wildlife, flora and river) ecologicallyinterdependent. The vision is that those people belong to that place and that the place is

part of their own identity, just as it is expressed in the fundamentals ofbioerregionalism.


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This is a much more deeperecology and possibly a different perspective of what may bethe government sustainability plan for this region. Ultimately, it is possible that bothsides does not have a way of thinking that seemseems to be aligned about with asustainability sustained development for the region.

Thus reaffirming the strategic position of Brazil compared to the planet's environment(2008, SBF / MMA) and remembering what was suggested by the Economist magazine,it could be affirmed that it exist in thisthe Belo Monte case discussion is an importantopportunity that should notbe get lost in political debates.

If the Belo Monte debate will go really to be done, Anyhow, with the Belo Montedebate, the environment will win somehow, even though if the outcome of this case is

been an irrecoverable losses for Brazil and for the planet.. After all, this loss could bejustified ifit is found a conciliator we could conciliate a way of thinking between theprinciples of deep ecology and its effective practice implementation in the processes ofdevelopment and sustainability. Perhaps, it seems a utopia, howeverstill, it will can

becould happen.

References

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Belo Monte's Case_ Ethics_rev RLM