Brazil's Controversial Amazon Dam Project

"...a proposal to build an $11 billion hydroelectric project here on a river...has set off a new controversy [that questions] Brazil’s vision of its future at a moment when it is simultaneously facing energy and environmental pressures and casting envious glances at faster-growing developing countries, like India and China."

"..the dispute now raging...appears to have more to do with politics and economics than science and nature."

"Proponents talk of the thousands of jobs to be created if the dams are built and predict power blackouts if they are not. Opponents warn of damage to the rain forest and say cheaper, more efficient alternatives are available."