Water & Energy Solutions

Tapping Local Green Power Could Light Up Mozambique

Map of a Green Energy Investment Plan for Mozambique
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
New Plan Shares the Wealth, Spares the Zambezi From September 2009 World Rivers ReviewMozambique is painting itself into a corner. Already extremely hydropower-dependent, the poor Southern African nation's next priority energy project is yet another large, costly dam on the Zambezi, at a time when climate change threatens to make the river's flow more erratic and hydropower more risky. The Mphanda Nkuwa Dam's power will primarily be for export to South Africa, since Mozambique's people are too poor, and its national grid too small, to make the dam economically viable for domestic use. Local NG

Are Dams In Patagonia Necessary? An Analysis of Chile's Energy Future

Monday, July 13, 2009
The long awaited study by the Consejo de Defensa de la Patagonia analyzing energy alternatives to hydroelectric mega-projects in Chile's Patagonia has been officially launched.  The study - "Se Necesitan Represas En La Patagonia? Un Análisis del Futuro Energético Chileno" (Are Dams in Patagonia Necessary? An Analysis of Chile's Energy Future) - was launched on July 2, 2009 in Santiago and then on July 14th in Coyhaique. Amongst the most interesting findings in this study piloted by the Patagonia BioGems Campaign at the Natural Resources Defense Council is that ener

Cuba’s Energy Revolution: Yes They Can!

Che Guevara on bike
Che Guevara on bike Barack Obama has proposed to invest $150 billion in renewable energy and energy efficiency over the next ten years. He need look no further than La Havana for inspiration. Cuba has successfully greened its energy sector over the last few years, and is now exporting its energy revolution. Will we soon benefit from Cuban expertise in cleaning up the US energy sector? Just a few years ago, Cuba was plagued by frequent power blackouts – the result of inefficient generation in outdated thermal power plants, large transmission losses, and wasteful consumption. In 2006, the

Leading Socially Responsible Investor Joins Advocates in Call to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders

Tuesday, April 28, 2009
MONDAY, APRIL 27             Shelley Alpern (Trillium), (617) 292-8026 x. 248 Bama Athreya (ILRF) 202-347-4100 Patrick McCully (International Rivers) 510-848-1155 Leading Socially Responsible Investment Firm Joins Environmental, Human and Labor Rights Advocates in Urging Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders to Back Proposal for Reporting on Social and Environmental Risks Cites Recommendation from Leading Proxy Advisory Firm, Effects of Environmental, Labor, Human Rights Problems on Investments in PacifiCorp, Russell, PetroChina    Boston, MA (April 27, 2009) – Leading sociall

World Water Forum

A Living River in Marseille at World Water Forum 6
Held once every three years, the World Water Forum is the largest privately-organized gathering of water officials in the world. It is not a UN-organized event, but developed and managed by the World Water Council, a consortium of mostly private companies active in the water and sanitation sector. The most recent forum was held in Marseille, France in March 2012. Previous Fora were held in Morocco (1997), the Netherlands (2000), Japan (2003), Mexico (2006), and Istanbul (2009). Activists Take on Dam Greenwashing at the 6th World Water ForumThe World Water Fora are usually dominated by industry

To Save Amazonia, There is Another Way

Wind turbine
Wind turbine Archive Brazil's electric sector says the country's energy future hinges on damming the rivers of Amazonia. But the Amazon could be protected and people's energy needs met through aggressive investment in energy efficiency and true renewables such as biomass, small hydro, solar and wind. A study by WWF-Brazil published in 2007 showed that by 2020 Brazil could cut the expected demand for electricity by 40% through investments in energy efficiency. The power saved would be equivalent to 60 Angra III nuclear plants or 14 Belo Monte hydroelectric plants. This would result in nationa

Energy Solutions for South Asia

In South Asia, the demand for electricity is growing rapidly. At the same time, countries in the region have some of the highest electricity transmission and distribution losses globally. Reducing those losses could provide significant amounts of additional electricity. India's electricity grid is known for its huge transmission and distribution losses of between 35% and 45%. The World Bank says that for Pakistan, "reducing electricity transmission and distribution losses are more cost-effective measures for reducing the demand-supply imbalances than adding generation capacity&quo

Energy Efficiency

Monday, March 2, 2009
Reducing the impact of our use of energy is one of the key technical, political, and even moral challenges facing human society in this century. While our sources of energy have to be made cleaner, our first priority must be to use energy more efficiently. The good news is that efficiency measures are cheaper, cleaner and faster to install than any other energy option. And we lose nothing in the bargain – the point of efficiency is to allow us the same levels of productivity or comfort, but with less power.

The Power of Negawatts: Energy Efficiency

The Power of Negawatts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Reducing the impact of our use of energy is one of the key technical, political, and even moral challenges facing human society in this century. While our sources of energy have to be made cleaner, our first priority must be to use energy more efficiently. Efficiency measures are cheaper, cleaner and faster to install than any other energy option. And we lose nothing in the bargain – the point of efficiency is to allow us the same levels of productivity or comfort, but with less power.

Hydropower: Not As Clean as You Think

Hydropower is often touted at "clean energy." But how clean is it really? We explore the impacts of this often misunderstood energy source, in "Hydropower: Not As Clean As You Think."

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