Photo Gallery Environmental Sins in the Amazon
Representatives from indigenous tribes and environmental groups protest the construction of the Belo Monte dam on Aug. 20, 2011. The dam, being built at the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon, will be the world's third largest in capacity when completed.
Bishop Erwin Kräutler, an Austrian who has lived in the region for almost 50 years, has round-the-clock protection because he has actively opposed construction of the dam.
A Greenpeace handout shows the Invasao dos Padres neighborhood, which will suffer from the construction of the Belo Monte dam.
Film director James Cameron joined indigenous people and activists at a protest against the dam.
Washing dishes on the banks of the Xingu River near Altamira, Brazil. According to Bishop Kräutler, once the dam is complete, there will be a rise in dengue fever, the river upstream from the dam will flood the city, and the government will have to resettle at least 40,000 people, especially the poorest of the poor, who tend to live near the water.
Indigenous people demonstrate against the dam in February 2011. The indigenous people are expected to receive 570 million euros ($776 million) in compensation from the government. Although prominent tribesmen have repeatedly protested against the dam, most have given up.
Here, around 300 activists occupy the construction site in June.
The construction site is pictured here in November. The first of 24 turbines at the dam is expected to be up and running in 2015. Starting in 2019, the dam will have as much generating capacity as 11 nuclear power plants.
