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Preserving the legacy of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Heart of the World
Rising abruptly from Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta reaches 5,775 meters (18,946 ft.) at its highest points, the peaks of Bolívar and Colón. It is the highest coastal mountain system in the world, a place where indigenous knowledge and nature’s own wisdom converge.
The sheer changes in elevation create a wide variety of ecosystems within a small area, where the diversity of plant and animal life creates a unique exuberant region. The melting snows of the highest peaks form rivers and lakes, whose freshwater flows down steep slopes to the tropical sea at the base of the mountains.
The indigenous Arhuaco, Kogi, Wiwa, and Kankuamo people protect and care for this natural treasure with an authority they have inherited from their ancestors. According to their worldview the land is sacred and shared in divine communion between humans, animals, plants, rivers, mountains, and the spirts of their ancestors.
Despite this ancestral inheritance, development projects proposed for the region have failed to take the opinions of these indigenous groups into consideration. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is currently threatened by 251 mineral concessions, hydroelectric projects, agriculture, urban sprawl, and infrastructure projects.
Many of these concessions were granted without the prior consultation of the indigenous communities, which represents a persistent and systematic violation of their rights.
Mining, which implies the contamination and erosion of watersheds, threatens the health of more than 30 rivers that flow out of the Sierra; these are the water sources of the departments of Magdalena, César, and La Guajira.
These threats have brought this natural paradise to the brink of no return. With it, would go the traditional lives of its indigenous inhabitants, who are dependent on the health of their land and the sacred sites it contains.
The Sierra hosts the archaeological site of la Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City, known as Teyuna, the cradle of Tayrona civilization. According to tradition, it is the source from which all nature was born—the living heart of the world.
The four guardian cultures of the Sierra are uninterested in allowing this natural and cultural legacy to disappear.
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Ten years of Belo Monte: The time for justice has come
Ten years after its inauguration, the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant (UHE) in Pará returns to the center of public debate, this time under the scrutiny of the Inter-American Human Rights System. More than an anniversary, this milestone reinforces the urgency of an effective institutional response:justice cannot continue to be postponed.The case, currently pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), brings together a substantial body of evidence regarding human rights violations associated with the Belo Monte UHE. Filed by a coalition of civil society organizations, including the Inter-American Association for the Defense of the Environment (AIDA), Global Justice, Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia Brasileira (COIAB), Movimento Xingu Vivo para Sempre (MXVPS), and the Conselho Indigenista Missionário (CIMI), the petition consolidates allegations of violations of the rights to life, health, prior consultation, and a healthy environment. The case is at an advanced stage of review and could soon be referred to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.A decade on, the socio-environmental impacts remain significant and largely unmitigated. The Volta Grande do Xingu—a stretch of approximately 130 km directly affected by the artificial reduction in river flow—represents the project’s most serious liability. The alteration of the hydrological regime, compounded by extreme events associated with climate change, has compromised local ecosystems, disrupted the reproductive cycle of species, reduced navigability, and threatened the food and water security of populations that depend directly on the river.Indigenous communities, riverine populations, and artisanal fishers face the ongoing deterioration of their ways of life, including reduced fish availability and impacts on fishing livelihoods. Additional harms include inadequate resettlements, increased violence, mental health impacts, and threats to cultural practices and traditional ways of life.Unlike the debates that characterized the project’s implementation phase, today’s discussion is shaped by the climate emergency and new international regulatory standards. Advisory Opinion OC-32 of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights provides clear guidelines on states’ obligations to protect human rights in the face of the climate crisis, recognizing the right to a healthy environment as a foundational principle. In this context, the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant case is a significant test of how energy development, environmental protection, and the rights of local populations can—and must—be reconciled.The organizations monitoring the case highlight non-compliance with precautionary measures issued by the Commission as a key reason to advance to the Court. The legal merit of the case, combined with its international significance, positions the case as ready for adjudication."More than a decade after the start of the Belo Monte hydroelectric project, the impacts on the Xingu River continue and are worsening, exacerbated by pressure for new projects and the climate crisis. The communities remain mobilized for justice and confident in the Inter-American Commission’s efforts to bring the case before the Court—the final step to ensure full reparations and the protection of the territory and its ways of life," said Marcella Torres, legal coordinator of AIDA’s Human Rights Program.According to Melisanda Trentin, coordinator of Socio-Environmental and Climate Justice at Justiça Global, the Belo Sun mining project is moving forward in the Volta Grande do Xingu region with consultation flaws identical to those of the Belo Monte project. “What is at stake in the region is the accumulation of harm and violations of human and environmental rights. A river with reduced flow, communities facing food insecurity and altered ways of life, and now a new project that repeats the same violations denounced in the Inter-American System for over 10 years,” she points out.For the signatory organizations, the ten-year mark represents a critical window for justice. The Belo Monte case is no longer an isolated episode— it stands as a benchmark for the concrete application of environmental justice in the Amazon, amid growing climate pressure and demands for state accountability.ABOUT - Belo Monte is the fourth-largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, built on the Xingu River in the state of Pará, in the heart of the Amazon. With an installed capacity of 11,233 MW, it was inaugurated on May 5, 2016. Its operation diverts 80% of the Xingu River’s flow through a canal 500 meters wide and 75 km long. The flooded area between the canal and the reservoir covers 516 km², larger than the city of Chicago, of which 400 km² was native forest.#JutiçaNoXingu See the statement from the petitioners in the Belo Monte case before the IACHR Read what the petitioning organizations in the case have to say:Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB)"There is no legal certainty without respect for the inherent rights of indigenous peoples. In the Amazon, this defense goes beyond the legal realm: it is a commitment to life, to the integrity of territories, and to the planet’s climate balance. The harm that the construction of the Belo Monte Dam has caused to indigenous populations and the environment has become a reality and is irreversible. COIAB’s Legal Advisory Office works to ensure that the Constitution, international treaties, and the self-determination of indigenous peoples are effectively respected at all levels of decision-making," states Gabriele Baré, coordinator of COIAB’s Legal Advisory Office.Movimento Xingu Vivo Para Sempre "Belo Monte uprooted people from the riverbanks and scattered the Xingu people far and wide, away from the river, their community, and the daily life they knew and loved. The riverine dwellers ceased to be who they were; the fisherwomen ceased to be who they were; they became nothing, many of them wandering the outskirts of cities. These people lost their identity and, with it, their soul. All that remained was emptiness and loneliness. The impact of the loss of their way of life cannot be compensated, but it must be acknowledged so that some form of redress can be made," says Ana Laide Barbosa, an educator with the Xingu Vivo para Sempre Movement.Observatory of Isolated Indigenous Peoples (OPI)"The construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam has exacerbated threats and pressures on the indigenous peoples of the Middle Xingu region in a manner similar to what occurred during the dictatorship with the opening of the Trans-Amazonian Highway in the same region. Recently contacted peoples such as the Parakanã and the Arara have suffered from alarming rates of invasions and illegal deforestation on their lands, and the refuge of the isolated indigenous groups of Ituna Itatá has become one of the most deforested areas in Brazil. At the same time, the diversion of the Xingu River’s waters causes ecocidal damage to the indigenous peoples of Volta Grande; and harmful impact compensation policies have had disintegrating and ethnocidal effects on nearly all the peoples. “For all these reasons, the hydroelectric dam has become yet another example of the colonial relationship established by the Brazilian state with the Amazonian peoples and a debt of reparation that must be acknowledged and addressed," says Helena Palmquist, deputy coordinator of the Observatory of Isolated and Recently Contacted Indigenous Peoples (OPI).
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Let's talk about project closure and responsible exit
No mining, fossil fuel extraction or power generation project lasts forever. Their useful life is determined by internal factors, such as the quantity of resource reserves, and external factors, such as declining demand or financial problems.But no matter how long a project lasts or how it is affected, its promoters—whether public or private—must provide for a closure and responsible exit process that considers the natural environment and affected communities, and that is desired and promoted by all stakeholders.This issue is even more relevant in the context of actions needed to address the climate crisis, largely related to the energy transition, which generally implies the substitution of fossil fuel extraction and use projects, as well as the promotion of low-emission renewable energies associated with mineral extraction. In both scenarios, closure and exit issues are of great importance.In the first, it is necessary to incorporate concrete and enforceable commitments to close down and move on from existing projects. In the second, these requirements should be built in from the planning and pre-feasibility stages and should also be included in the environmental impact assessments and subsequent stages.In all projects, the role of the promoters is essential. Likewise, the obligation of the state to supervise and monitor is of great importance in order to protect and guarantee the rights of those who may be affected. In some cases, the responsible exit also includes other key actors that are part of the value and supply chains of the projects: investors, financiers, insurers, suppliers, distributors and buyers, among others.Therefore, the discussion of project closure and responsible exit is essential to environmental protection and climate management in Latin America.What do we mean by project closure and exit?All mining and energy projects have different phases in their life cycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, closure, and post-closure. In turn, they have supply and value chains that, as we have said, involve actors from different sectors.In this context, closure refers to the stage of a project in which it ceases to operate and is terminated. Exit, on the other hand, refers to the decision and subsequent process in which the different actors in the project's value and supply chain, in their own roles, completely disengage from the project. What does it mean for a closing and exit process to be responsible?There is currently no consensus on the definition and scope of responsible exit and fair project closure processes. Sometimes these terms are used indiscriminately, which can lead to confusion about the responsibilities of the actors involved and the scope of the processes to be carried out. However, there are elements that allow these concepts to be explained precisely:Responsible and fair project closure is a planned, upfront process that should be considered from the earliest stages of a project and continually updated as the project evolves. Responsible closure ensures a planned, coordinated and participatory cessation of activities and dismantling, and guarantees the right to a healthy environment.The planning and development of a closure plan should focus on risk management as well as impact prevention and mitigation. This will ensure a responsible closure in which the affected areas can be readapted and made safe for both nature and communities, while allowing the ecosystems to recover their functions.The general obligation of the project developer is to properly identify the impacts that the project may cause and to adequately and timely comply with the measures approved by the State in its environmental management instruments.The main obligation of the State (in addition to its general regulatory duty) is to supervise and monitor the project to verify compliance with the developer's obligations and to prevent environmental and/or social damage.The role of other actors in the value and supply chain is to act with due diligence, to use their influence to encourage the promoter to comply with its obligations and, in the event of non-compliance, to act within their role and influence to ensure that the necessary corrective measures are taken.Responsible and fair exit refers to the process undertaken by the various actors in the value and supply chain when they decide to fully divest from a project, considering the responsibilities inherent in their role, which include fulfilling their obligations with respect to human rights and due diligence. In Latin America, there has been important progress in regulating aspects related to the permitting, commissioning and implementation of mining and energy projects. However, experience has shown that there are significant challenges in ensuring that the closure and exit processes are responsible for the ecosystems and communities involved.To learn more about this issue, see our report Closure and Responsible Exit. A requirement for environmental and climate justice in Latin America (in Spanish).In the following video, we explain the main findings of the report, which documents and analyzes cases in several countries across the continent:
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How much water is used to produce energy?
Water and energy go hand in hand. Processes such as gas extraction, oil refining, and hydroelectric power plant operations all require water. Thus, as energy demand increases, so does the need for water to generate it.This leads to environmental and social impacts, including the depletion of water sources and the pollution of rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.Understanding the connection between water and energy production gives us a broader perspective on what our water consumption entails.Conserving water also means reducing our energy consumption, exploring more sustainable energy generation options, and demanding that energy be produced in a clean and fair manner. The water footprint of energyWater is essential for energy production. But not all sources consume the same amount of water, so their environmental impact varies. To generate 1 megawatt—enough to power 1,000 homes for one hour—here is how many liters of water are consumed by different sources of electricity: But water use goes beyond that. In addition to electricity generation, the energy sector uses freshwater—with various socio-environmental impacts—in its various production processes: Conventional thermoelectric power plantsIn these plants, water is heated to high temperatures—by burning coal, gas, or oil—to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity.Water is also used in thermal power plants to cool the power-generating units. Hydroelectric power plantsThey use the force of water to drive turbines that generate electricity. By damming or diverting the natural flow of rivers, streams, and lakes, they fragment habitats, leading to the displacement and decline of species. They also impact water quality.Furthermore, they cause the forced displacement of communities living near water sources and who depend on them. Fuel extraction and productionWater is used in coal mining and in drilling wells for oil and gas. In many cases, these processes generate wastewater.Water is also needed to refine oil and gas before they can be used as fuels. Coal miningIn addition to using water to extract the mineral, it can be used—along with chemicals—to remove sulfur and impurities before combustion. Coal mining using explosives generates debris that can contaminate local water sources and even block them. Coal can be transported to the power plant using a method that pumps the finely ground coal mixed with water through pipes. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)In this technique, a mixture consisting of more than 90% water, along with chemicals and sand, is injected at high pressure into underground rock formations to fracture them and access the oil or gas they contain.The wastewater from this mixture remains underground and can contaminate the groundwater that feeds nearby aquifers. Renewable energySolar photovoltaic and wind power do not use water to operate, but they require supplies and materials whose production requires water.A notable example is lithium, which is used to manufacture the batteries that store the energy generated by these sources. Its extraction involves massive water consumption from salt flats, one of its primary sources:2,000 liters of water for every ton of lithium produced in evaporation ponds.Water is used to extract lithium carbonate and separate it from the remaining compound.Water is lost during brine pumping. Understanding how much water is needed to generate the energy we use gives us a broader perspective on the water our energy consumption entails.Reducing our energy needs and promoting sustainable and equitable energy production are also ways to conserve water. If you'd like to learn more about this topic, here is a list of the sources we consulted: - "How It Works: Water for Electricity", Union of Concerned Scientists.- "El uso del agua: una planta de energía termoeléctrica", USGS.- "¿Por qué la termoeléctrica no es energía limpia?", J. Soto, Greenpeace.- "How much water does the typical hydraulically fractured well require?", U.S. Geological Survey.- "Hydraulic Fracturing and its Impact on Water Resources", Water Footprint Calculator.- "The intensification of the water footprint of hydraulic fracturing", Science Advances.- "Efectos del represamiento de ríos en países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre la biodiversidad, el agua, la alimentación y la energía", A. Stehr, CEPAL.- "Las represas y su impacto en la naturaleza", WWF.- "¿Qué es el litio, para qué sirve y de dónde se extrae en la Argentina?", Florencia Ballarino, Chequeado.- "El impacto de la minería de litio en los Humedales Altoandinos", Wetlands International.- "'Triángulo de litio: la amenaza a los salares de Bolivia, Chile y Argentina", Rodolfo Chisleanchi, Mongabay Latam. Data on water consumption in electricity generation obtained from: - "A simple model to help understand water use at power plants", A. Delgado y H. J. Herzog, MIT.- "How it Works: Water for Natural Gas", Union of Concerned Scientists.- "Hidropower Explained", U.S. Energy Information Administration.- "How it Works: Water for Nuclear", Union of Concerned Scientists.- "Geothermal Energu Factsheet", University of Michigan.- "Life cycle water use for electricity generation: a review and harmonization of literature estimates", J. Meldrum y otros, Environmental Research Letters.
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