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US Companies Favoring Efficiency Over Offsets

Katy Yan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:55:27 -0800

The average Nike shoe emits about 40 pounds of CO2 (http://www.greenbiz.com)

A few years ago, the latest green(wash) rage among the rich and famous was offsetting carbon emissions from air travel and energy use. Lately, this trend may be slowly reversing itself.

Companies are beginning to see the problems inherent in offsets and are instead turning to improving energy efficiency. The latest companies to abandon the over-hyped offset are Yahoo! and Nike.

Ethiopia's Hydro Plans Get Stuck in the Mud

Peter Bosshard — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:09:01 -0800

Meles Zenawi and Italy's Foreign Minister inaugurate Gilgel Gibe 2

On Jan. 13, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi inaugurated the Gilgel Gibe 2 scheme, the country's biggest hydropower project. "It is possible to speed up development without polluting the environment," Zenawi proudly declared as he cut the ceremonial ribbon. Yet this was wishful thinking.

CDM Auditing Process Cheats the Climate

Payal Parekh — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:14:38 -0800

Investigative reporter Mark Schapiro's most recent article, "Conning the Climate" provides an inside look into how Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects are validated and verified, as well as the many problems that arise.

Introducing the Day of Action for Rivers Intern 2010!

International Day of Action — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:58:31 -0800

Greetings and Salutations! My name is Martina Plaza, and I am the new Day of Action for Rivers Intern here at International Rivers. I just want to give everybody an idea of who I am, how I got here, and what I will be working on in the coming months.

I am a junior English major and intended Environmental Studies minor at UC Berkeley. I have always been vastly inspired by nature, and was taught much about conservation while growing up. My parents never took me to Disney Land, but instead took me camping and hiking. I’m working to combine this love and respect for the environment with writing. Known nature writers such as Aldo Leopold, David Brower, and Terry Tempest Williams have inspired me to pursue this field. As you can tell, I enjoy writing very much, and look forward to improving my skills through this blogging site and writing for World Rivers Review.

Going After Uganda's Big, Bad Dam Investors

Lori Pottinger — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:24:54 -0800

A new short documentary by the Dutch group BothEnds offers a clear, concise "you are there" view of problems being caused by the Bujagali Dam, now being built on the Nile River in Uganda. This well-done piece of activist filmmaking shows the viewer firsthand what is at stake in this controversial project. You'll see what the dam will flood, visit a village forced to move for the project, hear from Ugandans who hope their businesses can afford the project's costly electricity, and see the beautiful Bujagali Falls themselves – soon to be submerged by the dam. People on both sides of the debate give thoughtful commentary on key issues – all against the backdrop of the mighty Nile.

The video comes at a time when activists in Europe and Uganda have teamed up to call the European Investment Bank (EIB) to task for its role in the controversial project. A team from the EIB will visit Uganda next week to investigate the complaint, lodged by Uganda's preeminent

NAPE staff and Terri Hathaway (Int. Rivers), Uganda

environmental group, the National Association of Professional Environmentalists, or NAPE. This is the third such official complaint about the project by the group, which also lodged complaints with the World Bank and African Development Bank. Although these institutions' investigators substantiated key concerns raised by NAPE, the banks have taken few steps to resolve the problems. It seems they see their independent "inspection panels" as little more than suggestion boxes. Perhaps the third time will be the charm for these dogged activists.

The Avatar Sequel: Damming Pandora

Peter Bosshard — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:23:06 -0800

Living on Pandora

March 30, 2164. - I have spent a lot of time on Pandora lately. I have explored its verdant valleys, lush rain forests, and floating mountains. I have tried to stay away from the ferocious aynantang and aypalulukan. And I have fallen in love with the mighty rivers and waterfalls, which cascade down sheer cliffs and which you may have admired in the Avatar movie.

Don't Mention the Climate Debt

Patrick McCully — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:13:10 -0800

Tolstoy believed that it was the existence of the rich that was the real cause of Russian poverty.

I just attended an excellent report-back from the Copenhagen climate talks fiasco. The speakers included Payal Parekh, climate director from my own organization, International Rivers, and representatives from other great Bay Area enviro organizations, 350.org, Rainforest Action Network and EcoEquity.

Nature Strikes Back at Three Gorges Dam

Peter Bosshard — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:06:22 -0800

Three Gorges resettlers (Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum)

"Battling with heaven is endless joy, fighting with the earth is endless joy, and struggling with humanity is endless joy," Mao Zedong once proclaimed. The Three Gorges Dam, which the great helmsman had conjured in one of his poems, is one of the manifestations of this philosophy. Nature inevitably strikes back against those who fight it. In the case of the Three Gorges Dam, we just learned that at least 300,000 more people need to displaced so that the environmental impacts can be kept under control.

Should Brazil Ban “Avatar”?

Lori Pottinger — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:49:41 -0800

avatar

China has pulled the 2D version of the blockbuster hit, Avatar, from the big screen in what is being billed as cinematic protectionism -- reportedly, to keep its theaters focused on showing a new state-sponsored biopic about Confucius. But many believe there is another side to the story.

Will China Win the Clean Energy Race With the US?

Peter Bosshard — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:21:53 -0800

Liu Xiang of China outran his American competitors in the 2004 Olympic 110 meter hurdle to win the Gold medal (Chine Informations)

In April 2009, President Obama said, "The nation that leads the world in twenty-first-century clean energy will be the nation that leads in the twenty-first-century global economy." Will China or the United States win the race for clean energy technology and future economic predominance? Here is an update with some personal impressions from Beijing.

AES and the CDM

Payal Parekh — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:25:45 -0800

(Florencio Quintero)Yet again a project by AES, one of the world's largest power companies, didn't manage to make it past the validation stage in the CDM approval process. International Rivers is very pleased, as this project, the Changuinola Dam in Panama, is particularly damaging. The project is located in the buffer zone for the La Amistad UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and has resulted in the forcible displacement of 1,000 Ngobe people. If this project would have been registered, it would have legitimized a project rife with social and environmental abuses. The fact that this project is being built without receiving any income from the CDM shows that it is clearly not additional (see the extensive comments submitted to the CDM from International Rivers and others).

Ethiopia: River Defenders Kidnapped While Mines and Dams Advance

Terri Hathaway — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:52:28 -0800

Main road in Awassa (Oliver Benson)

It’s been more than a week since anyone has heard from three students kidnapped from the Awassa University campus in southern Ethiopia by government security forces, according to the Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA). Whereabouts of the students, Nagga Gezaw, Dhaba Girre, and Jatani Wario, is still unknown. The students were part of a local movement in southern Ethiopia which has called on their government to address river contamination, unpaid compensation and other problems caused by the Lega Dembi open pit gold mine. Several student-led demonstrations in early December brought promises to address the issues, promises now left empty by the extra-judicial kidnappings. (For more info on the demonstrations, see Addis Fortune and Voice of America.)

Surfing the Web Within China

Ian Elwood — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:20:27 -0800

Google China Logo

Being an activist who works in China may have gotten a lot harder in the past few weeks. Google and twenty other large US based companies were hit by a sophisticated cyber-attack that originated from within China in December, making the company question its policies about doing business there. What is of concern to our readers is that the attackers were attempting to get information on Chinese human rights activists. While the attacks were unsuccessful it still brings up a familiar theme to those advocating on behalf of the poor and marginalized -- questioning the status quo is not always popular.

Crunching the Hydro Numbers 2009: Fourth Quarter Update on the CDM

Katy Yan — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:58:50 -0800

Update:

The number of projects that entered the CDM pipeline fell 42% from the third quarter (See Fig. 1).
The percent of hydropower projects entering the CDM pipeline relative to all CDM projects continues to be on a downward trend since 2007 (see Fig. 2).
According to a new Point Carbon survey (sub req'd), one third of registered CDM projects never go on to receive CERs, or certified emissions reductions credits. Most notable are landfill gas and other waste projects. Arne Eik, analyst at Point Carbon, attribute the lack of issuance to: "problems with project finance prompted by the economic downturn, uncertainty about post-2012, and the difficulties some projects had in demonstrating they can cut emissions."
The percent of projects rejected out of the total number of projects requesting registration was 7.4% in 2007, 3.8% in 2008, and 1.4% in 2009 (this does not include withdrawn projects).
48% of all hydro projects in the CDM pipeline have requested registration since 2004, while 40% of all hydro projects have actually been registered. Figs. 3 and 4 show the fate of projects requesting registration and being registered by year. This graph shows the dramatic increase over the last year of projects that the Executive Board has requested be reviewed.
Hydro projects continue to be the most prevalent type of project in the CDM pipeline (27% fo all projects). 70% of hydro projects are located in China. Figs. 5 and 6 are based on the UNFCCC CDM pipeline database, last updated on December 20, 2009.

Young River Protectors Video Contest

Ian Elwood — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:13:53 -0800

Today I received an email asking to use our video We All Live Downstream as the opening video for a University of Nevada sponsored youth video contest -- of course I said yes. The contest entrants are in the age range from 7th to 12th grade, and their short videos feature the Carson River Watershed.

As International Rivers has come to use video and other multimedia more in recent years, it is nice to see the next generation of river protectors taking up the cause.

Take a look at a few of their videos and vote on your favorite. The winner gets five hundred dollars, not a bad prize for a high school student!

In Memory of Glenn Ross Switkes

Glenn Switkes — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:28:41 -0800

International Rivers is mourning the loss of our Amazon program director Glenn Switkes, a dear friend, respected colleague, and a river warrior of unbreakable passion. Glenn died on December 21 in a São Paolo hospital of complications linked to lung cancer. He was 58.

Please see our memorial page for more information about Glenn.

Disappointing End to Climate Talks

Payal Parekh — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:09:49 -0800

Demands for Climate Justice (Ben Powless)

The disappointing conclusion of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen reinforced how little rich countries, which have caused climate change, are willing to do to ameliorate its impacts and limit warming. Essentially the United States cut a deal with a handful of nations and then shoved this deal down the rest of the world's throat. Even during President Obama's press conference, he admitted that it wasn't legally binding and that it wasn't enough to limit warming to under 2 degrees Celsius (we should note that over 100 countries are calling to limit warming to under 1.5 degrees).

Water Justice at Copenhagen (or Lack Thereof)

Katy Yan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:28:31 -0800

(Daniel Bachhuber)On the final day of the COP15 climate negotiations at Copenhagen, leaders have reportedly reached a final deal, though one that insufficiently deals with emissions reduction targets, timelines, accountability, compliance, and the question of who's responsible for adaptation and mitigation action and funding. Water justice - the belief that every human being deserves the right to access clean water to meet their basic needs - is another issue that has largely been glossed over by delegates these past two weeks.

Loopholes and Targets at Climate Talks

Payal Parekh — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:30:05 -0800

Here in Copenhagen, a lot of the discussion has been around the lack of ambition coming from developed countries. There has been little discussion of long-term finance to meet the mitigation and adaptation needs of developing countries. With regards to the emission reduction targets, they are adding up to a mere 11-17% below 1990 levels, despite the fact that the most recent science is calling for emission reductions of at least 40% below 1990 by developed countries. A leaked draft of a document prepared by the UNFCCC secretariat found that the current pledges commits the world to a 3 degree warming. It also found that developing countries will actually reduce emissions more than developed countries!

Offsets and the Rich/Poor Divide

Katy Yan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:52:24 -0800

International Rivers' Payal Parekh gives an update on the current status of the climate negotiations at Copenhagen's COP15. Developed countries continue to avoid taking strong targets, raising tensions between rich and poor countries on the third-to-last day of the negotiations. News on offsets and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are mixed and constantly changing.

Payal Talks About Climage Change on Reuters

Ian Elwood — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:12:35 -0800

International Rivers climate scientist Payal Parekh was interviewed about climate change on the Reuters blog today from Copenhagen. Take a look at the whole story on Reuters.com.

As Negotiations Drag, Subnational Leaders Step Up

Katy Yan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:08:19 -0800

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California addressing the 194-nation U.N. climate talks (United Nations)

As the clock winds down, and countries are nowhere near an agreement, subnational leaders from Canada, Nigeria, France and Algeria, led by California's "Gubernator," announced today in a press conference at Bella that they plan to advance the concept of a new regional coalition to fast track the results of the Copenhagen negotiations.

China’s Dam Builders Go Global: an Eyewitness Account

Peter Bosshard — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:11:45 -0800

Construction work on China's Kamchay Dam in Cambodia (Marcus Rhinelander)

China counts half of the world’s large dams within its borders, and is the biggest producer of hydropower. Throughout the 20th century, Western companies helped China build up its hydropower capacity. Yet in the huge Ertan and Three Gorges projects of the 1990s, China changed the rules of the game. Companies interested in the multi-billion dollar contracts had to manufacture half the turbines and generators on Chinese soil, in cooperation with Chinese partners. The leading hydropower firms of the time – including ABB, Alstom, General Electric and Siemens – complied, and transferred their technology in the process.

Half-time Review of Climate Negotiations

Payal Parekh — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:42:24 -0800

At the Bella Center, home of the COP15 negotiations (http//:www.international-club-copenhagen.blogspot.com/)

It's halftime at the climate negotiations in Copenhagen. Thus it is a good opportunity to analyze what happened last week and discuss what we can expect in the coming week, with a focus on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and new proposed trading schemes.

Crunch Time in Copenhagen

Katy Yan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:13:44 -0800

Flood for Climate Justice (http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Billedserier/2009/12/12212940.htm)

Week Two of the COP15 in Copenhagen opens with the arrival of over 110 ministers and soon their heads of state - i.e. crunch time for the negotiations. This is also leading to incredibly long lines at the entrance and limits to the number of NGO members being admitted.