my verdict
My final recommendation as to whether the Belo Monte Dam should continue construction is no. The Belo Monte Dam should not continue to be constructed after an evaluation of the severe repercussions it has in store environmentally, socially and economically not just for Brazil, but for the entire world.
While the dam will provide a much-needed and large economic and social advantage for Brazil, this advantage will soon be rendered invalid compared to the $18 billion price tag, plus the money going into the maintenance of the dam over time. This extremely expensive cost is one, I believe, Brazil cannot afford to currently accommodate and will only cause further issues with tax due to the dam's price and crime rates as people who struggle with tax feel tempted to turn to crime to pay off their debts. These are issues Brazil is trying to overcome with projects such as the dam and events like the World Cup to prove it is a nation to be contended with. However, projects like the Belo Monte Dam may only eventually cause negative impacts for Brazil.
The dam claims to solve the environmental problems that accompanies it due to solving problems of local annual floods and building conservation parks. However, the damage some flooding does is insubstantial to the 1,500 square kilometres of precious rainforest the project will destroy and it will only encourage further deforestation. In response to the conservation parks proposal, only $800 million is being spent, whereas the overall $18 billion cost of the dam itself is 22.5 times larger than what it is proposing to spend to save the environment it is eradicating. It is a good proposal, but more money needs to be invested to conserve the rainforest the project will destroy, which Brazil cannot currently afford. The rainforest issue will not only negatively affect Brazil, but the entire world.
Brazil's government argues that the population of people will increase in remote areas of Brazil as job opportunities for the dam increase. This will increase the development in secluded parts of Brazil. While I agree this is a positive thing, over 20,000 indigenous people will be displaced due to the construction of the dam. They will be furious at the government for allowing the eradication of their home for generations, which will cause severe social issues. The economy will also have to accommodate a sudden growth of 20,000 people who are not adapted to an urbanized lifestyle. Many human rights organizations are also supporting the indigenous people's protests. This may lead to a portrayal of Brazil as a violating country rating money over valuing its culture, an image it does not want to project to the world, especially with the World Cup coming soon.
While there are some noteworthy economic advantages for Brazil if construction continues, the disadvantages outweigh them not only for Brazil, but globally-in the case of the deforestation that will occur. Overall, I believe the construction of the dam should not continue if we want to avoid these disadvantages. However, if it does continue, more money should be invested in the conservation of the environment but this would only damage Brazil's economy even more.
While the dam will provide a much-needed and large economic and social advantage for Brazil, this advantage will soon be rendered invalid compared to the $18 billion price tag, plus the money going into the maintenance of the dam over time. This extremely expensive cost is one, I believe, Brazil cannot afford to currently accommodate and will only cause further issues with tax due to the dam's price and crime rates as people who struggle with tax feel tempted to turn to crime to pay off their debts. These are issues Brazil is trying to overcome with projects such as the dam and events like the World Cup to prove it is a nation to be contended with. However, projects like the Belo Monte Dam may only eventually cause negative impacts for Brazil.
The dam claims to solve the environmental problems that accompanies it due to solving problems of local annual floods and building conservation parks. However, the damage some flooding does is insubstantial to the 1,500 square kilometres of precious rainforest the project will destroy and it will only encourage further deforestation. In response to the conservation parks proposal, only $800 million is being spent, whereas the overall $18 billion cost of the dam itself is 22.5 times larger than what it is proposing to spend to save the environment it is eradicating. It is a good proposal, but more money needs to be invested to conserve the rainforest the project will destroy, which Brazil cannot currently afford. The rainforest issue will not only negatively affect Brazil, but the entire world.
Brazil's government argues that the population of people will increase in remote areas of Brazil as job opportunities for the dam increase. This will increase the development in secluded parts of Brazil. While I agree this is a positive thing, over 20,000 indigenous people will be displaced due to the construction of the dam. They will be furious at the government for allowing the eradication of their home for generations, which will cause severe social issues. The economy will also have to accommodate a sudden growth of 20,000 people who are not adapted to an urbanized lifestyle. Many human rights organizations are also supporting the indigenous people's protests. This may lead to a portrayal of Brazil as a violating country rating money over valuing its culture, an image it does not want to project to the world, especially with the World Cup coming soon.
While there are some noteworthy economic advantages for Brazil if construction continues, the disadvantages outweigh them not only for Brazil, but globally-in the case of the deforestation that will occur. Overall, I believe the construction of the dam should not continue if we want to avoid these disadvantages. However, if it does continue, more money should be invested in the conservation of the environment but this would only damage Brazil's economy even more.