Hydro: A Risky Business in a Changing Climate

No More Dams!

On Friday, International Rivers was asked to speak at a side event at the UN Climate Change Conference titled "False Solutions to Climate Change".  I presented data showing that tropical reservoirs are often high emitters of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Reservoirs produce methane due to the rotting of organic matter under low-oxygen conditions.  In certain cases these emissions can even be worse than a coal fired power plant.  Our newest factsheet, Dirty Hydro provides more details.

I also addressed the riskiness of dams in a changing climate.  The predictability of river flow is an important piece of information necessary for the planning of a new dam.  Whether the river is rain or glacier-fed, one thing is certain: Climate change will definitely affect this flow. How the flow will change is not predictable and data from the recent past will not provide us with the information needed.
So, how do we ensure that there is enough clean (i.e. carbon-free) energy for the world?  There are no easy answers, but supporting renewables such as wind and solar, changing our lifestyles, and moving toward small, decentralized solutions are some ideas.  If we can put a human on the moon in less than a decade, why can't we kick our carbon addiction?  The clock is ticking...