Are We Dammed?

Brazil, apparently, has chosen intermittent hydroelectric power over environment and native culture. They have cleared the way for the third largest dam in the world to be built along the Amazon river.
The reason I say "intermittent" power is because the dam will only operate at 100% capacity during the monsoon season, which lasts three months. During the dry season, it is expected the dam will only produce about 10% of monsoon season power.
Blah blah blah wipe out fish populations, increase malaria in standing water areas, wipe out rain forest, displace native peoples, blah blah blah.

You know, at some point, the human race will have effectively destroyed this planet. Scientists, politicians, and annoying bloggers like me argue when that point will happen, but virtually all human beings acknowledge that eventually we will succeed in our efforts to irrevocably damage the global ecosystem beyond simple, autonomous repair. Some, like Rush Limbaugh, see the global climate apocalypse as asymptotically distant, though not impossible. Most conservatives see it as unlikely in their lifetimes. Liberals tend to implore us to change our ways, because the climate needs our help, sooner rather than later, but even they cannot irrefutably nail down the PoNR for Earth's climate.

And then you have that lunatic fringe. That small group of people who don't claim, but rather simply accept, that our race has passed the point where the climate is fixable. I try not to fall into this group. I really do.

And then this happens. And I really, really wonder if we've blown it.


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