Why Big Dams Are the Wrong Response to Climate Change

Date: 
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The reservoir of ther Balbina Dam in Brazil emits more greenhouse gases than a coal-fired power plant
The reservoir of ther Balbina Dam in Brazil emits more greenhouse gases than a coal-fired power plant
Wikimedia Commons

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its Special Report on Renewable Energy on June 14, 2011. The report provides strong evidence for the large potential of renewable energy sources to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Its quality is weakened by a strong bias in the treatment of the hydropower sector. The attached critique by International Rivers points out the flaws in the IPCC report’s hydropower chapter, and complements it with critical findings on the ecological and social impacts of large hydropower projects, and the vulnerability of hydropower to the impacts of climate change.