Image of the Day: Hydropower Critics Say Damn the Dam
The Belo Monte dam is being constructed on the Xingu River, one of the largest in the Amazon basin. Government officials say the dam is necessary if Brazil’s energy production is going to keep pace with its economy. And while supporters say hydropower is the country’s best clean-energy option, the reservoirs have high CO2 and methane emissions. Methane emissions have a warming effect that is 25 times stronger than CO2. The survival of the Amazon rainforest is threatened by deforestation and climate change, which could kill trees and then created feedback loops that will increase global warming.
Credit: Daniel Beltra/Greenpeace
