The World Bank and the debate on hydropower licensing in Brazil

摘要

The internal debate on environmental licensing for new hydropower projects is intense in Brazil. Developers feel that approving projects is a lengthy, costly and highly uncertain process. There is no shortage of opinions in the media: industry representatives, NGOs caring for the environment or indigenous and traditional peoples, social movements (such as the Movement of Dams Affected People), highly ranked government officials and, occasionally, the President of the Republic himself, complain about everything from excessive power of public prosecutors to undue political pressure on government officials in charge of reviewing environmental impact studies.