Environment & Resources

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.