Press Release

Jason Rainey Appointed as International Rivers’ Executive Director

Friday, April 29, 2011
Media Advisory Berkeley, CA -- International Rivers, a leader in the global movement for healthy rivers and human rights, has named Jason Rainey its new Executive Director. Mr. Rainey joins the 25-year-old organization as it grows to meet the challenges posed by a revival in global dam-building that threatens many of the world’s last remaining great free-flowing rivers. Before joining International Rivers, Mr. Rainey served as the Executive Director of the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) from 2005-2011 and as the Program Director of the Marin Conservation Corps from 1999-2005.

Thousands Protest Against Patagonia Dams

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Chilean Government Urged to Cancel Controversial HidroAysén ProjectIn a massive outpouring of public opposition to Chile's controversial HidroAysén dam project, thousands of people are taking to the streets in 17 cities across Chile today to call on the Chilean government to cancel the project. The first action of the day took place in Valdivia, where hundreds of people interrupted President Piñera during an opening ceremony for a lakeside promenade. Actions will be taking place throughout the afternoon and evening across the country, with the largest expected to take place in Santiago

Lao Disagrees with Neighbors on Xayaburi Dam

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Decision Delay a Temporary Reprieve for Mekong River Bangkok, Thailand: Government representatives from the four lower Mekong Basin countries agreed today that the decision on the Xayaburi Dam, the first dam proposed for the lower Mekong mainstream, be deferred and elevated to the Ministerial level. According to a press release from the Mekong River Commission (MRC), whilst Lao PDR proposed to proceed with the dam, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam called for an extension to the decision-making process citing concerns about transboundary impacts and knowledge gaps that require both further study

Outrage Over Secret Xayaburi Dam Construction

Monday, April 18, 2011
Appeal to Region’s Governments to Reject Dam at Key Mekong River Commission Meeting Tomorrow Mekong activists are outraged to learn that preliminary construction activities have already begun on the controversial Xayaburi Dam, the first dam proposed for the lower Mekong Mainstream, as reported in yesterday’s Bangkok Post. The report was published on the eve of tomorrow’s Mekong River Commission (MRC) meeting in Vientiane, which is supposed to decide whether to approve the project. “That project preparations have already commenced on the Xayaburi Dam demonstrates the company's and

Clinton Urges Consideration of Alternatives to New Dams in the Amazon

Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Former U.S. president cites indigenous rights and calls on Brazil to lead the world in the 21st century in forging a sustainable energy path.   Manaus, Brazil - During a speech at the World Sustainability Forum in Manaus over the weekend, former U.S. president Bill Clinton signaled he was against the construction of massive new hydroelectric dams in the Brazilian Amazon. While commending Brazil's efforts to reduce deforestation and achieve economic prosperity, Clinton cited the controversy over proposed mega-dams as a "real problem" and called on Brazil to show leader

El Zapotillo Dam Site Occupied While Illegal Construction Continues

Sunday, March 27, 2011
Temacapulín Residents Demand Cancellation of the Project Activists from around the country join protest in solidarity with the community of Temacapulín. The Committee of Salvemos Temaca calls on international organizations, international agencies and individuals to ensure that those protesting are not victims of police harassment and repression by the state. Temacapulín, Mexico- At 9pm on Sunday March 27, 200 community members and allies from Temacapulín, Chiapas, Nayarit, Mexico City, Colima, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Guadalajara began an occupation of the construction site of El Z

James Cameron Brings Arnold Schwarzenegger to Amazon

Saturday, March 26, 2011
Celebrities Witness Battle Between Old and New Energy   Cameron Joins Kayapo Chief Raoni and Other Indigenous Leaders in Advocating for Energy Alternatives to the Belo Monte Dam Manaus, Brazil – James Cameron held a press conference yesterday with Amazonian indigenous leaders and environmental experts following his return with Arnold Schwarzenegger from a visit to the Big Bend region of the Xingu River, the site of the proposed Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon. Calling the Dam a "human rights crisis" for Brazil, Cameron-who has visited the Xingu Region three time

Yesterday’s Technologies a Bad Match for Tomorrow’s Problems

Friday, March 25, 2011
World Bank Energy Strategy: Yesterday’s Technologies a Bad Match for Tomorrow’s ProblemsBerkeley, California - In a time of climate change, decentralized, adaptable and diversified water and energy projects are best suited to respond to increasingly variable and unpredictable weather patterns. Large dams risk becoming uneconomic due to droughts, and unsafe due to more extreme storms. They will also further degrade freshwater ecosystems which are already reeling under the impacts of climate change. In spite of this, the World Bank’s new Energy Strategy calls for increased funding for larg

263 NGOs Call on Mekong Governments to Cancel Plans for Xayaburi Dam

Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Bankgkok, Thailand – 263 non-governmental organizations from 51 countries submitted a letter yesterday urging the Prime Ministers of Lao PDR and Thailand to immediately cancel the proposed Xayaburi Dam on the Mekong River’s mainstream in Northern Laos.   The letter urges the Government of Lao PDR to cancel its plans to build the project and for the Thai Government to end plans to import its electricity.  The letter is submitted in advance of the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC) 33rd Joint Committee Meeting, scheduled for 25-26 March in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, where the four member c

Organization of American States Questions Belo Monte Dam Project

Monday, March 14, 2011
Altamira, Brazil— The Organization of American States (OAS) officially requested the Brazilian government to clarify information on the Belo Monte Dam’s licensing process, which moved forward without ensuring proper consultation with local indigenous groups. This request comes amid heightening local and international controversy around plans to construct the dam complex on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS, solicited the request in response to a complaint filed by several organizations including the Xingu Alive Fore

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