Amazon diary number four following one, two, and three.
The Chinese run projects that make most westerners' toes curl. If they need a dam, they dam their biggest river. They make our infamous Corps of Engineers look like Jainists.
China needs oil, of course, also. So here's the plan: finance an oil refinery on the coast of Ecuador. Then build a road through the heart of the most biologically rich areas on the planet including through a roadless biological reserve. Dredge and widen a large tributary of the Amazon River, the Napo, to transport oil and cargo on, and then build a two billion dollar hydroelectric plant smack in the center of it all.
This clip from Diary #2 might help.
The Napo begins its journey to the Amazon river on the slopes of the Andes east of Quito, and runs along the northern boundary of the Yasuni National Park, joins the Amazon at Iquitos, crosses Peru, and enters Brazil.
The Napo marks the route of a proposed haul-road that could span SA from Manta, Ecuador to Belen, Brazil. The corridor, a combo of road and canal, was initiated by Brazil in the 1970s and is intended to span the continent in order to provide access to ports on both sides. It is only partly paved. Under this plan the Napo is to be deepened and widened to allow barge traffic. In the Amazon, a river, dredged. And widened. Nice. And when the planet heats up more, perhaps Brazil plans to drain the water out of the Napo and pave the riverbed.
Seriously, President Correa is in support of this highway. He and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela have been scheming on building an oil refinery on the Equadorian coast at Manta, using the road/canal through the Amazon to transport crude to the refinery from Brazil, Venezuela, and yes, Ecuador's jungle, and then to China, which is set to manage the refinery.
Chavez recently anounced he was pulling out of this deal due to the drastic drop in oil prices, and since these countries depend heavily on oil revenues for operating capital, we won't be seeing it happen in the near future. But still, you see where this is going. In addition, Brazil has oil block leases all along the Napo. And the Yasuni has a huge oil find that, according to some, Brazil would be foolish to overlook.
A road or a commercial canal running along the boundary of a wilderness area full of all kinds of expensive items like trees and animals, a rare ecological preserve, is an unfortunate arrangement that puts it in the front window on Main Street; the only byway across the continent would pass through its most remote region.
That was a couple of weeks ago. Now China wants to help build the Napo corridor.
Here's a map.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has been under a little pressure lately. The petroleum business has fallen from 140 dollars per barrel to around 37. One sign of the crash of his most important export was his renege on payment of some bonds. Then just a few weeks ago, Venezuela's President For Eternity Hugo Chavez backed out of his partnership with Correa to build the refinery, 'cause he presides over a faltering oil economy as well.
Correa went to China, and China received him gladly. So the refinery is back on track. Plus, other stuff. Bet you China got a good deal on it, too.
Correa came to power with all kinds of green flourishes. He swore to protect the Yasuni region and orchestrated a new constitution that gave legal standing to Nature.
There was one little caveat, however, that in case of a national emergency the protection of nature could be wiped off the books with a simple vote or even a presidential decree. Whatever. These things can be accomplished.
What would you do if your chief revenue stream dropped 75% in less than a year? As elsewhere, the planet, bending under the yoke of population is being chopped up and portioned out and will continue to do so until we learn how to make algae in seventy different flavors unless nothing short of a miracle happens.
I'm not saying that Correa doesn't have a green body part. But the rights chapter of the new constitution was written by Americans, not Ecuadorians. That was back in the heady Black Gold days. Today, I'm afraid that the jungle maiden Yasuni will either be ransomed by EU carbon credit do-gooders, or she will be ravished by the barbarians of oil lust. China will be just up the river. Or maybe the Bra-zillions, who have numerous oil leases along the Napo already. Ecuador has a national oil company. The Yasuni doesn't stand a chance.
But wait. Maybe the Chinese infusion of money exceeding two years of Ecuador's GDP might hold off the rape of the Yasuni. And the Sumaco, the preserve I've alluded to?
Today you will find plenty of great things in the Sumaco-Napo-Galeras National Park. Giant armadillos, bears, deer, ocelots, peccaries and jaguars make their way quietly through the undergrowth while parakeets chatter noisily in the tree-tops. There is simply nothing to describe how incredibly untouched this precious wildlife refuge is. You have to see it to believe it.
International Rivers collects a substantial amount of information on the threats to the Amazon region.
The project would develop a road and transmission line corridor into a currently roadless, protected area that is part of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, and would threaten to de-water San Rafael Falls, which at 146m (480 feet) is the largest waterfall in Ecuador and an incredible scenic attraction.
Here's a lovely photo of the Sumaco jungle and volcano.
The 1500 Mega Watt Coca Codo Sinclaire dam project has been on the to-do list since 1987, but it was cancelled when a volcano, El Reventador, devastated the area.
El Reventador, known locally as "the exploding one" and "the destroyer" is located in a remote section of the Amazon rainforest, but the power of its explosion Sunday sent tons of ash as far as Ecuador's capital, Quito, about 60 miles away, causing the city and its airport to close down and causing the evacuation of about 1,500 villagers who live close to the volcano.
This one scared the crap out of everyone. Everyone but the Chinese. Hmm, aren't those the guys whose impoundment of water reportedly crunched the faultlines of the disastrous Sichuan Quake? Well, they're not going be scared off by a volcano; they claim they've got it handled. That's what Harry Truman said at Mount Saint Helens.
Although the volcano is still quite active, a new version of the project has been proposed which supposedly takes geologic issues into account and nearly doubles the installed capacity.
What About Carbon Credits?
The use of carbon credits as incentives for hydro development is steadily gaining ground in Ecuador. There are currently close to 30 hydro projects applying for consideration under the Clean Development Mechanism, and four of these have already been approved. These projects claim to displace the use of fossil fuels for energy production. In most cases, the projects are not actually replacing a thermal power plant, and may cause other significant environmental impacts. Despite the well-meaning intentions of the program to offset emissions of greenhouse gases, the most positive impact of the program may be a steady bonus in the pockets of hydro developers.
A Trade Route Through The Amazon
Regional Integration: A proposed competitive trade route between Asia and Brazil includes Ecuador as a central port connection, land bridge and freshwater shipping channel. The project is part of the South American Regional Infrastructure Integration Initiative (IIRSA). In order for the trade route to be competitive with the Panama Canal, the Napo River would need to be dredged and channelized to maintain a navigable route for heavy barge traffic. Hong Kong-based Hutchison Holdings has already committed over US$520 million to developing the Pacific port terminal in Manta, Ecuador. There is widespread concern about the impacts to the Napo River basin and the indigenous populations and territories along the route, as well as the implications for investment in new water and energy projects that would not otherwise be considered.
So. A road/canal through the Amazon jungle that will compete with the Panama Canal. About all I can say about the Ecuadorian Amazon is: See it now.