The construction of mega-projects and the reconstruction of the world

Capitalism, Nature, Socialism

Volumn 20, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 6-11

  Barkin, David ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CONSTRUCTION; PROJECT DESIGN; RIVER SYSTEM; TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE; WATERWAY TRANSPORT;

AMAZON BASIN; BRAZIL; MADEIRA RIVER; PANTANAL; SOUTH AMERICA;

AVES; MAMMALIA;

EID: 70349885511     PISSN: 10455752     EISSN: 15483290     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/10455750903215704     Document Type: Article

References (9)

1. In this regard see the excellent collection of essays assembled in Alf Hornborg, John R. McNeill, and Joan Martinez-Alier, Rethinking Environmental History: World-system History and Global Environmental Change (Lanham: AltaMira Press, 2007).
2. E.H. Bucher, A. Bonetto, T. Boyle, P. Canevari, G. Castro, P. Huszar, and T. Stone, "Hidrovia: An Initial Environmental Examination of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway," Wetlands for the Americas, Publication No. 10, Manomet, MA, 1993. See especially Figure 12.
3. For an early critique of the attempts to use economic analysis to justify this project, see: David Barkin, "Macro Changes and Micro Analysis: Methodological Issues in Ecological Economics," Ecological Economics, Vol. 19, No. 3, 1996, pp. 197-200.
4. Mac Margolis, "Treasuring the Pantanal - Brazil," International Wildlife, November-December, 1995, online at: http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_m1170/is_n6_v25/ai_17632856/, accessed May 31, 2009.
5. Raul Gauto, quoted in the Brazilian newspaper, O Estado de São Paulo, April 4, 1997. He remains an influential leader of the regional and international community who argues that it is possible to bridge the gap between social and business interests; in response to a request from this writer, he reaffirmed his position in personal correspondence in June 2009: "...the river is crucial for thousands of poor people, for the communications, for the sale of their products, to generate employment, to protect their traditions... Today, they continue super isolated and with their basic needs still unmet!! For this reason, I commented that opposing the hidrovía was, and still is, morally incorrect."
6. Eduardo Gudynas, "The South American Hidrovia Paraná-Paraguay: Environment vs. Trade?," Revista del Sur, No. 160, 2005, pp. 4-5.
7. The approach followed by IIRSA focuses on strategic axes of integration and development, concentrating actual and potential commercial trade flows; these include: Andean, Southern Andean, Amazon, Guyanese Region, Hidrovia Paraguay-Paraná Rivers, Central Interoceanic, Merosur-Chile, and Peru-Brazil-Bolivia. For more details and a detailed description, see the special issue of Integración y Comercio, Vol. 12, No. 28, 2008, published by the Inter-American Development Bank.
8. See http://www.tragua.com for more details on this particular case and the history of processes for evaluating citizen complaints with regard to water management in Latin America.
9. In fact, even within the Brazilian judicial system, the review process of the environmental authorities strongly questioned the wisdom of continuing with the project. (Personal communication.)