Rio+20

Declaration on the Myth of Destructive Dams as Clean Energy and the Urgent Need to Protect Rivers

Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Healthy rivers provide clean water essential for life on Earth. Following the Rio+20 Earth Summit's failure to recognize the irreversible destruction of rivers and livelihoods caused by large-scale dam projects, we, civil groups have joined dam-affected communities to launch a global movement to denounce the myth of large-scale dams as clean energy and an appropriate technology for “sustainable development”.

Wrapping Rio

I’m now back in California after the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development that played out in Rio de Janeiro last week. With weak participation from key governments – and strong “title sponsor” influence from mammoth energy and mining corporations, it’s not so surprising that the final document from the official proceedings has widely been called a failure for people and the planet.

The Brazilian Electricity Sector and Sustainability in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges

Sunday, November 11, 2012
This publication presents the results of a joint effort undertaken by a group of researchers and socio-environmental NGOs aimed at promoting critical analysis and proposals for new public policies to meet the challenges of Brazil’s electrical energy sector in the 21st century.

On the Road from the Xingu to Rio

Activists restore the Xingu's natural flow at the Belo Monte Dam Site
I arrived in Rio de Janeiro late Sunday evening, following six incredible days in the Xingu. The Xingu+23 encounter was intentionally held right before Rio+20 to heighten attention to the glaring human and environmental consequences of the Brazilian government’s obsession with building the Belo Monte Dam at any cost. The event is also serving as a concrete example of the huge gap between discourse and reality when the subject is “clean energy” and the new “Green Economy.”

River & Rio+20 Dispatch: Green Economy

Hundreds of people occupied the Belo Monte Dam site near Altamira, Brazil, Jun 15, 2012.
I’ve been at the People’s Summit in Rio for less than eight hours, and I’ve already got too many possible points of departure for this first dispatch!

World Rivers Review - June 2012: Focus on Rio+20

The Rio+20 conference is flying the banner of the “Green Economy,” and pushing for a business-friendly approach to environmental protections. A number of initiatives being presented in Rio promote large hydropower. Yet the world’s biggest environmental meeting is also an opportunity to prioritize river health as a measure of a planetary well-being and sustainable growth. This issue of WRR covers key river issues that should be front and center at Rio+20 – and beyond. Download the June 2012 issue What's inside The Amazon: Dirty dams, dirty politics and the myth of clean energy. C
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