(urgent) Web campaign against Ethiopia Gibe III dam

[Indi Guy]

Source: BBC

...Tewolde Gebre Egziabher, head of Ethiopia's Environmental Protection Authority, told the BBC the project was "very sensible".

"The advantages for the whole country, the local communities around, even for our neighbouring countries - including Kenya -so much more outweigh the 'small problems' that will be caused on an immediate basis but are not long-lasting."

..."Gibe III is the most destructive dam under construction in Africa. The project will condemn half a million of the region's most vulnerable people to hunger and conflict," said Terri Hathaway, director of International Rivers' Africa programme.

The dam would flood a huge area, creating a 150km-long lake and preventing people from planting their crops on the river's flood plains, as they have done for many generations.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8582682.stm

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"...Western donors and banks..." are funding this dam. Any chance that they really have the best interests of the Ethiopian people at heart? :puke:

BBC news didn't provide a link to the petition, but I tracked it down -- http://www.thepetitionsite.com/6/save-kenyas-lake-turkana

Please kick this along so that the foreign bankers might get their asses kicked for a change; and the Ethiopian people might have their lives, livelihoods and civil liberties protected.

[dipsydoodle]

1. There is a tiny Facebook

but oak trees from little acorns grow. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Lake-Turkana/198919034576?ref=ts&v=wall

[Indi Guy]

2. Thank you dipsydoodle...

I see the LBN link there now...

[lbrtbell]

3. K&R

I'm sick of the world shitting on the poor.

[Posteritatis]

4. Online petitions are worthless, but any actually effective protests against this would be welcome.nt

[Indi Guy]

6. I disagree that online petitions are worthless...

The mere fact that the petition made BBC News tells me differently; but I heartily agree with your sentiment.

[Posteritatis]

8. Worthless things routinely make the news.

Every slacktivist in the United States could sign an online petition - they could do it five times each, which is why they're worthless - but it's not going to have any effect on American laws and practices, never mind those of an African country which probably couldn't give half a damn about what we think in our oh-so-comfortable homes over here.

[Oerdin]

5. I'm for it.

Ethiopia is a very under developed country with most of the population not having access to electricity while this project will bring electricity to the homes of millions of poor people without increasing green house gas output. Plus Ethiopia experiences frequent droughts which cause wide spread famine. This dam project will store a tremendous amount of water which farmers can use in the event of drought and that will save lots and lots of lives all while creating jobs in a country with 50% unemployment. We are seeing the usual western arrogance in this thread trying to tell 3rd world people they must always live in poverty and that anything they do to improve their lives is some how wrong. Take your arrogance and shove it.

[Indi Guy]

9. You make some good points; here's a problem though...

"...But the question of whether the domestic population will benefit as a result is fiercely contested, given that much of its power could be exported to Kenya." -- http://ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=40938

[Maraya1969]

7. I can't believe I saw this on the Greatest page and then clicked and saw 3 votes!

Who would be so crass as to unrecommend this thread? I wish I could give it more than one rec.

[Indi Guy]

10. And I don't understand why this thread got kicked off LBN...

This is hard news from BBC.

[dipsydoodle]

11. Shit happens

as Forest would've said. It's a "brown people" post : best just put it down to one of life's great mysteries.

:hi:

[alfredo]

12. Lake Turkana should be a world heritage site. It is the cradle

that held early humans. It is our home.