James Cameron Says Amazon Facing 'Real-Life Avatar'
You can fight city hall, even if the battle is deep in the rain forests of Brazil. Hollywood mega-director James Cameron believes Brazil's Amazon rain forest is the climactic setting for an 'Avatar'-like battle between indigenous people and a giant hydroelectric project, reports the
Telegraph.
"I'm drawn into a situation where a real-life 'Avatar' confrontation is in progress," said Cameron, director of über blockbusters 'Avatar' and 'Titanic,' by phone. He was speaking while trekking to a protest in front of the Brazilian Mines and Energy Ministry. Cameron is currently in the South American country supporting Indian and environmental groups opposing the massive Belo Monte dam project.
Cameron attended an Amazon environmental summit in March with vice president turned environmental guru Al Gore. He returned to Sao Paulo, Brazil, this week to promote the DVD version of 'Avatar.' He later came to Brasilia, the national capital, to bring attention to the activists' fight. Coincidentally, the 'Avatar' plot revolves around the efforts of the Na'vi people to protect their homeland from a similarly apocalyptic environmental threat -- the ravages of oil extraction.
"What's happening in 'Avatar' is happening in Brazil and places like India and China, where traditional villages are displaced by big infrastructure projects," Cameron warned. In addition to Brazil's struggles, millions of Chinese have been displaced by similar types of massive infrastructure projects like the Three Gorges Dam, the largest of this type of initiative in the world. The Itaipu dam, also in Brazil, is reputedly the planet's second largest dam project in terms of generating capacity.
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The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam would become the world's third largest project if completed. The Brazilian Environment Ministry cleared the way for construction of the $11 billion dam on February 1.
However, their have been howls of disapproval by environmental advocates against this project which is slated to be built on the Xingu River, a major tributary to the Amazon River. Advocates say the project will devastate not only native wildlife but also the livelihood of the 40,000 indigenous people who live in the area and would eventually be flooded by the dam's construction.
Cameron said he wrote Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a letter five days ago suggesting he take the environmental high road and stop the initiative. "I wrote to him that, 'This is an opportunity for you to be a hero, a visionary leader of the 21st century, and modify Brazil's path in such a way that you have sustainable economic growth instead of economic growth that has serious consequences for certain sectors of the population,"' Cameron stated. The director has yet to receive a reply.
Cameron believes the Amazon rain forest "provides a service to the entire world." It is believed that the Brazilian forest acts as the planet's major defense against warming through carbon dioxide emission absorption. However, rain forest clearing can also unfortunately contribute to warming through tree rotting and vegetation burning.
"If North America and Europe have been responsible for the carbon pollution that started us down this inevitable slide of global warming, then they should take financial responsibility for those services that nature naturally provides," said Cameron when speculating what he would tell Lula if granted a meeting. The Brazilian President is currently on a trip to the US.
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stick to making movies james and let the scientists make the rainforest call
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Anyone who thinks Cameron is a visionary should watch "The Emerald Forest" starring Powers Boothe from the mid-80's. Once again, James Cameron is just riding someone else's coattails.
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Please stay home, James Cameron.
Why don't you and Senn Penn stay home. Take a look around California. Fires, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, etc. have ravaged where you live. Why don't you practice your Good Works at home?
Make movies and entertain us and leave the tough stuff up to the ones who know.
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And Palin knows how to fix the "tough stuff" by drilling in environmentally protected wilderness areas of Alaska? Gee, that wouldn't have brought any extra revenue into that state's budget, right? As long as Cameron is doing SOMETHING, it's a helluva lot better than doing nothing, or doing something detrimental, like your she-devil, Sarah.
tuffstuff? Really?
You sound like a little punk puddy baby.
And as usual, you are WRONG.
BAD BAD President (oh sorry not yet but soon) Palin for drilling for oil in Alaska.
WTF is wrong with that, you lunatic liberal tool? The environment can be maintained while we get our own oil, punk.
Sarah Palin really scares you, doesn't she?
If you're gonna post, at least get your facts straight.
Lyin Liberal Loser.
Oh goodie goodie! I just love it when supersmart Hollywood people tell the rest of us how to cure the world's ails. Of course they are constantly flying in jet aircraft from one coast to the other and burn more fuel in one year then the rest of us will use in several lifetimes. Oh, and how many trees to build those mansions? Save us your lecture.
BTW, I was tickled when Avatar didn't win an Oscar.
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First : hydroeletric power it is a very clean source of energy, the alternative for this kind of energy JAMES CAMERON can donate(with the billions from AVATAR) some thousands of WIND TURBINES or millions of SOLAR POWER PANELS if he wants to stop the construction of this 11 billion DAM.
Second : this idea of saving the rain forest it is instead a form of INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS to get their hands in the MINERALS,RICHES and WOODS of RAIN FOREST, just the opposite of what they PRAY, it is not saving rain forest but instead DEVASTATING AND EXPLORING THE RAIN FOREST with total disregard for its people and fauna.
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