James Cameron, the creator of AVATAR, has released a short new film called “A Message from Pandora” about a battle to stop the massive Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon.  The twenty-minute short casts a spotlight on this real life AVATAR story at a time when the Brazilian government is on the verge of deciding whether construction can begin on the world’s 3rd largest hydroelectric dam project.

According to environmental group Amazon Watch, the indigenous tribes who inhabit the region believe that the Xingu River is sacred and that the Brazilian government is violating their rights. They, together with the riverbank settler populations, are determined to defend their sacred river and their way of life and are asking the world to join them in stopping the dam.
[pullquote]In AVATAR, I refer to Earth as “the dying Planet.” In reality, our Earth IS in peril.
[/pullquote]
James Cameron, his wife Suzy Amis Cameron and cast members of AVATAR including Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore traveled to the Xingu River in March and April of this year accompanied by Amazon Watch. They visited indigenous and riverbank communities who would be adversely affected by the Belo Monte Dam Complex.  Moved by the parallels between AVATAR and the frontline battles taking place in the Amazon, Cameron made a commitment to support the campaign led by local populations along the Xingu.  He also committed to bring this story to global audiences.

“I hope AVATAR fans will watch “A Message from Pandora” and join me in this critical fight to urge the Brazilian Government to reconsider the Belo Monte dam and to encourage governments everywhere to choose greener energy alternatives like energy efficiency, wind and solar energy,” James Cameron said.

“In AVATAR, I refer to Earth as “the dying Planet.”  In reality, our Earth IS in peril. The quality of life for our future generations on this planet depends on the actions we take over the next decade. There is no time to lose,” Mr Cameron added.

The $17 billion project plans to divert nearly the entire flow of the Xingu River along a 100km stretch. According to Amazon Watch, its reservoirs would flood more than 100,000 acres of rainforest and local settlements, displace more than 40,000 people and generate methane — a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The dam project is one of more than 60 dams the Brazilian government plans to build in the Amazon over the next 20 years.

For more information about the Amazon Watch campaign against the Belo Monte Dam development, visit www.messagefrompandora.org

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

EthicalLiving.com.au