In the Media

Striking a Fair Balance on Mekong Dams | Bangkok Post

A 'slow boat' sails the Mekong River near the Pak Beng dam site, down-river from Chiang Kong.
Monday, May 1, 2017
This Friday, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) will hold their second Regional Stakeholder Forum under the Prior Consultation procedure for the Pak Beng Dam, the third hydropower project proposed for the lower Mekong River mainstem. The stakes for the Mekong and the people of the region are too high to get it wrong on Mekong dams. As the institution charged with ensuring sustainable development and conservation within the Mekong River Basin, the MRC must ensure sound decision-making based on comprehensive information and quality, basin-wide studies.

What Rivers With Rights Mean for the Mekong | The Interpreter

Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Three rivers were recently granted "human" status by their governments. This conservation approach holds great promise -- but is it coming too late to save the Mekong?

Counterintuitive: Global Hydropower Boom Will Add to Climate Change | Mongabay

Thousand Island Lake in China, the result of a dam built in the 1950s on the Xin’an River. A global study has found that greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs are substantial, with methane contributing to 90 percent of a reservoir’s global warming potential during the first 20 years of its life.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
A new study finds that reservoirs emit significant greenhouse gases planet-wide. Researchers urge that new hydropower projects not be christened with "green energy" label.

International Rivers Statement on California's Oroville Dam

Oroville Dam
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Kate Horner, Executive Director, says "We’re deeply concerned by reports of the deteriorating conditions at California’s Oroville Dam. We pray for the safety of all those affected."

Dams With Big Reservoirs | The Globalist

Government rendition of Belo Monte Dam
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Researcher Phil Fearnside explains how Brazil’s hydroelectric plans threaten its Paris climate commitments.

China Dam Construction Is Putting Pressure on Mekong River | Cambodia Daily

A man casts a fishing net into the Mekong River from a boat in Phnom Penh in December 2011.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
A cascade of six dams being built in southern China has caused significant changes to water levels in the Mekong River as far downstream as Cambodia, according to a study released by researchers from Finland and Laos.

Chinese Firms Improving Social Protections: Study | Phnom Penh Post

A view of the Chinese-built Kamchay Hydropower Dam in Kampot province.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Grassroots mobilization has successfully pressured Chinese dam operators to adopt social safeguards in countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, but there's still room for improvement.

The End of a People: Amazon Dam Destroys Sacred Munduruku “Heaven” | Mongabay

Rapids on the Teles Pires River. The cultural impacts of the destruction of Sete Quedas, a sacred site comparable to the Christian “Heaven” continue to reverberate throughout Munduruku society. Future dams and reservoirs are planned that will likely impact other sacred indigenous sacred sites.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Brazil dynamited an indigenous sacred site, the equivalent of Christian “Heaven,” to make way for the Teles Pires Dam; the desecration is devastating the Munduruku culture.

Dams Be Damned, Let The World's Rivers Flow Again | The Guardian

Visitors gather to watch giant gushes of water released from the Xiaolangdi dam on the Yellow river in Jiyuan, China.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Executive Director Kate Horner explains why it’s time to give permanent protection to free-flowing rivers, after a century of runaway dam building.

A Glimmer of Hope for the Salween? | Myanmar Times

China’s decision to shelve hydropower projects presents an important opportunity for Myanmar to re-evaluate their planned dams on the Salween.
Monday, December 12, 2016
China’s decision to shelve hydropower projects presents an important opportunity for Myanmar to re-evaluate their planned dams on the Salween. This includes the implications of these projects in hindering efforts to preserve the country’s rich biodiversity and achieve sustainable peace.

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