On April 20,2010, Brazil's national electricity regulator awarded the Norte Energia consortium rights to build the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. Brazilian officials state the 11,000 megawatt dam is critical to development, providing relatively "cheap" energy in a renewable manner. Last week Kristen blogged about James Cameron's recent visit to the Xingu River, the new home of the Belo Monte.

Two days ago, the New York Times ran an article on James Cameron's recent trip to the Brazilian Amazon. His visit was to collaborate with indigenous leaders against the government's imminent production of a dam that, according to the article, "would flood hundreds of square miles of the Amazon...

Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world's largest suppliers of oil and natural gas, has announced that it intends to move away from the exploitation of unconventional energy resources, such as those in Canada's oil sands, and back towards conventional oil and gas exploration.

Yesterday, musicians, actors, and activists embarked on an extreme effort to raise awareness of the global water crisis and financial support for safe drinking water projects. The celebrities, who include Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch, just began ascending Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest peak in Africa – in a remarkable campaign named “Summit on the Summit”. It is an unprecedented show of celebrity support for this crucial health and development challenge.

There's been some banter in the last few weeks about replicating the techniques of the popular "Cash for Clunkers" program in the form of a "Cash for Caulkers" program. The idea is to both prop up the economy while also increasing the energy efficiency of American homes. But the program also comes at a time when oil prices are beginning to creep upward again - as of today, they're at about $75 per barrel.

Via Dan Drezner, who kiddingly notes that the timing is convenient for James Cameron, scientists have discovered a "super-Earth" planet, 40 light years away, that is water-rich.

Here's CNN with the details:

Things are heating up in Copenhagen as the Climate Change Conference enters its second and final week. Negotiations are scheduled to end on Friday, by which time participants are hoping to have a treaty ready to bring back to their home countries. However, progress has stalled on a number of points of contention.

The lack of access to drinkable water in the developing world is a problem that will continue to inhibit growth, development, and improvements in health in these countries. Fortunately, there are some great technologies being developed that address this problem on a micro level. I've put together a short video that highlights some of the ones that I find to be the most interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

On Thursday, November 19, please join CSIS and partners in commemorating World Toilet Day. While many people who have access to a toilet might consider this a humorous concept, the global sanitation crisis necessitates that a spotlight be shined on both the severity of the problem and the promising solutions. Join us on the lawn of the United States Capitol to learn about, and give voice to, the 2.5 billion people who lack access to a toilet and the 1.8 million people who die annually as a result.

When looking at developing countries and the myriad of issues that face them, it often becomes a daunting task coming up with ways to benefit those in need. Many however have lived up to the task and have found the little things that make a big difference. The latest in this is a new combination of older technologies that create an inexpensive and environmentally friendlier way of bringing light where there was once darkness.