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In April, 2011, we co-authored a report with Groundwork and Friends of the Earth on energy financing at the World Bank, titled "World Bank, Climate Change, and Energy Financing: Something Old. Something New?". Read the report below, and download the report at the link that follows. Download the report (courtesey of Scribd)

AMAZON                   $25,000Logo and name inclusion in all on-air PSAsFull-page advertisement in the event programLogo and name inclusion on invitations and postcardsTop billing positioning of logo on printed materialsPremier “top billing” positioning and link on websitePremier “top billing” positioning for event signageProjected logo at eventName inclusion in email announcementSponsor recognition during Opening Remarks at event12 tickets CONGO                    $10,000Half-page advertisement in the event programLogo and name inclusion on

A Guide for Communities in Laos Affected by DamsThe government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic has announced its plans to build close to 30 new dams by 2020.  This guide, written in a popular style and in Lao language, contains information for dam-affected people, NGO staff and other interested people about dams, their impacts and what communities can do to protect their rights.  The aim of this action guide is to share information about what to expect if a dam is built in your area. To help understand Lao laws about planning and operating dams, including compensation for af

A consortium of Chilean and European companies called HidroAysén hopes to dam two of Patagonia’s wildest and most remote rivers – the Baker and Pascua.They also propose to build a 2,000-km transmission line to export the electricity from Patagonia to feed Chile’s mammoth mining industry and biggest cities in the center of the country. The Baker and Pascua rivers are located in Aysén, Chile’s most sparsely populated region.The Pascua River literally jumps out of Lago O’Higgins into a series of class-6+ rapids and waterfalls, making it one of the most rapidly flowing rivers on the

The Nu River, known also as the Salween, starts at the Tibetan Plateau and flows through southwest China, Burma and Thailand, before emptying into the Andaman Sea. It is home to one of China's most biodiverse regions, a World Heritage Site, and provides sustenance for thousands of people downstream. Situated in a highly seismic region, the Nu River Valley has come under the additional threat of plans for a cascade of large dams on the mainstream. Our film, Double Threat on the Nu details the situation in the region. Learn more about the Nu River by visiting our campaign page.

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 f

Sheyla Juruna tells Valter Cardeal of Eletrobras that indigenous people did not give consent to Belo Monte Dam International Rivers During the same day that the Peruvian government canceled Eletrobras' Inambari dam in the Peruvian Amazon as a result of non-compliance with the international Labor Organization's Convention 169 on the rights of indigenous peoples to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, tribes from Brazil's Xingu River basin lambasted the Brazilian government at an International Congress for having failed to achieve consent from indigenous peoples who would be affected

It is undisputed that dams can influence local rainfalls. Humidity evaporates from reservoirs and irrigated fields and gets recycled as rainfall. Evaporation from reservoirs can also cause more frequent storms. On the other hand, dams and levees can reduce evaporation and rainfalls when they drain wetlands and open up woodlands for deforestation. The Niger Delta in West Africa illustrates how dams can influence rainfalls. In September, the delta’s wetlands extend to an area of 30,000 square kilometers – roughly the size of Belgium – and feed rainfalls over a much larger region. Yet

A dam industry effort threatens to greenwash dams and undermine the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD). The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) is a voluntary, non-binding auditing tool that allows dam builders to score the sustainability of their own dam projects. This civil society fact sheet examines how the HSAP works, its shortcomings, and why it could end up legitimizing destructive dams. The HSAP was created between 2007 and 2010 by the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum (HSAF), an initiative of the International Hydropower Association (IHA)

Chileans have been protesting every day since the Environmental Impact Assessment for the destructive HidroAysén project in Patagonia was approved on May 9th. On Saturday, May 21, President Piñera will give his State of the Union address, and Chileans are going to make sure that he can't ignore the 74% of the population that doesn't want this destructive and unnecessary project. There will be massive demonstrations on May 20 and 21 all over Chile and in cities around the world. Join this amazing movement and call your local Chilean embassy or consulate. Read my blog about the pro