Tell Leaders at COP 20 – Large Dams Are Not Clean Energy!

Date: 
Monday, November 24, 2014

Right now in Lima, Peru, leaders from 195 governments are debating how to solve the climate crisis—and many of them still think large dams are a viable solution.

At the twentieth Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which continues through Friday, government representatives are creating the framework for a binding climate treaty that will be signed next year. 

Various governments, financial institutions, and corporations will be pushing for the construction of large dams to supplant fossil-fuel power plants. 

That’s why over 180 civil society organizations from across the globe have come together to send a clear message to national and international authorities at the COP: Large Dams Are Not Clean Energy!  

What proponents of large dams won’t tell you is that they typically emit significant amounts greenhouse gases (including methane, 20-40 times more potent than CO2), cause irreversible environmental damage and threaten the human rights of more than 80 million people worldwide.

In a letter delivered this week in Lima, we’ve called for an immediate halt to financial incentives for large dams under the UN Climate Convention, and for climate financing to be directed to truly sustainable energy solutions that prioritize energy efficiency and decentralized renewables such as solar, wind, biomass and geothermal. Read the civil society sign-on letter in English, Spanish and Portuguese signed by 190 organizations asking that large dams not be considered a source of clean energy.

Add your voice to the campaign “Dams are Not Clean Energy”! Sign the petition today to show your support!

In addition, please share the infograhic below in English and Spanish to help spread the word.