The planned construction of 22 hydroelectric power plants in the Amazon region over the next eight years will cause the emission of 153 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a new study reveals. The construction of dams and reservoirs for these hydro plants will require the deforestation of 1,500 sq km in seven environmental preservation areas (APAs), a combined area equivalent in size to the southern Brazilian city of São Paulo, reports a study by the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon), released May 11.

This deforestation has been authorized through a provisional decree which is now being studied by Congress on its way to becoming a law. But according to Imazon, the environmental impact assessments required for the execution of these projects were not carried out.

“Reducing the size of APAs without these assessments and public consultations is a violation of environmental legislation and establishes a precedent for future cases,” researcher Elis Araújo of Imazon told Tierramérica.