April 2011
Dear Friends,
I've just returned from a whirlwind of travels that spanned several nations, cultures, regions and reasons, and I'm truly energized by the experience.
Beginning in the Xingu region of Brazil – the site of the proposed Belo Monte Dam – indigenous leaders, scientists and environmentalists hosted James Cameron and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's fact-finding trip. I accompanied Cameron to the World Sustainability Forum, where he was joined by former President Bill Clinton in urging Brazil to lead the world in finding greener energy alternatives to hydroelectric dams. The final stop of my journey was Oxford, UK for the 2011 Skoll World Forum where some 900 people discussed how to bring about the large-scale global change humanity urgently needs to continue on this planet.
In all of these gatherings, prominent leaders from around the globe discussed the very issues at the core of Amazon Watch's mission. We face tough battles ahead, but we are blessed with the backing of powerful allies and are poised to make lasting change for the Amazon's life-giving rainforests. Our people power is growing and we need you – your moral and financial support is more important than ever to our collective success.
For Future Generations,
Atossa Soltani
Executive Director
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Our friend James Cameron accompanied us once again to the Amazon, this time bringing former CA governor Arnold Schwarzenegger along to see firsthand a battle between old and new energy. The delegation traveled to the Xingu River, the site of the proposed Belo Monte Dam and shared in a dynamic discussion at the Global Sustainability Forum about transcending old model energy, exemplified by large dams, to a new model based on energy efficiency, solar and wind power. Upon meeting with Cameron, former President Bill Clinton cited indigenous rights and called on Brazil to find alternatives to large dams in the Amazon.
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Back in Washington this week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), part of the Organization of American States (OAS), officially requested the Brazilian government immediately suspend the Belo Monte Dam complex. According to the IACHR, the Brazilian government must undertake a consultation process that is "free, prior, informed, of good faith and culturally appropriate" with indigenous peoples threatened by the project before further work can proceed. In what the media is calling Dilma's first major diplomatic crisis, the Brazilian government is refusing to comply.
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Civil society representatives from Latin America recently attended the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Annual Meeting along with Amazon Watch to monitor progress of a new reform agenda adopted by the Bank last year and on which the Bank's recapitalization is conditioned. The groups expressed concern that, although the Bank has moved forward on some commitments from the Cancun Declaration, much uncertainty remains in their implementation. Learn more about the IDB and this year's meeting in the civil society publication IDB Watch.
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You may have noticed a new Eye on the Amazon on our website: a sleek digital publication and official blog of Amazon Watch. We're out there on the frontlines fighting hard with our partners and we thought you should be able to come straight to the source for accurate news, notes from the field, images and video from the regions we work in on a daily basis. This week, Andrew Miller is on a blog roll, taking you to far-flung nooks of the planet with colorful stories of the "The Freest Peoples: Protecting the last indigenous groups in voluntary isolation", and our Peruvian partners leading the charge for indigenous rights at the World Bank Climate Fund meeting.
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This month a group of supporters embarked on a journey to the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest. From the contaminated rivers and pits of Chevron-Texaco's former operations to the pristine and breathtaking Napo wildlife lodge in Yasuni National Forest, the trip offered a new perspective on the true human and environmental cost of oil extraction, as well as the beauty that is worth saving. Click for a sneak peak into the photo album from their adventures, and consider traveling with us yourself in the future!
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