International Rivers Sitewide RSS Feed

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.

Ethiopia’s Newest Dam Suffers Tunnel Collapse Days After Inauguration

Lori Pottinger — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:06:07 -0800

A critical water-passage tunnel in the newly inaugurated Gilgel Gibe 2 hydropower project in Ethiopia reportedly collapsed this week.

Letter to CDM Board on the ERSA Airuroca Small Hydro Project (Brazil)

Katy Yan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:16:59 -0800

Current status: At Validation (as of Jan 2010)

TO CDM Executive BOARD c/c Paolo Teramo - RINA

Subject: The ERSA Airuroca Small Hydro Project in Brazil does not meet the requirements for the Clean Development Mechanism.

Belo Horizonte, July 9, 2009

Dear Sirs,

We would like to contest ERSA ́s Aiuruoca Small Dam Project under a few comments:

ERSA says it is developing and implementing an environment and social management system - but the environmental bodies (IBAMA, IEF and SUPRAM-Varginha) have not recommended the environmental license for the project, as you can read in the attached report. ERSA does not demonstrate that they plan to comply with the recommendation of environmental authorities for a participatory process in all activities related to the conditions for completing the Preliminary License and for the Plan for Environmental Control needed to apply for the Construction License.

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.

2010: US / Canada

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:18:23 -0800

United States | Canada

United States

Canada

2010: Southeast Asia

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:17:43 -0800

Burma | Cambodia | Philippines | Thailand | Indonesia

Burma

Cambodia

2010: South Asia

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:17:09 -0800

Bangladesh | India | Pakistan | Sri Lanka

Bangladesh

2010: South America

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:16:25 -0800

Argentina | Brazil | Chile | Colombia |

Argentina

Chile

Brazil

2010: Oceania

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:15:46 -0800

| Australia |

Australia

2010: Mesoamerica

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:15:15 -0800

Mexico| Costa Rica | Dominican Republic

Mexico

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

2010: Europe / Middle East

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:14:00 -0800

Italy

Portugal

2010: Africa

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:12:05 -0800

Cameroon

Kenya

Actions by Region 2010

Ian Elwood — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:04:09 -0800

For descriptions of events for the 12th annual International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers, Water and Life on March 14, 2010, as well as participant contact information, please subscribe to our Day of Action email list.

Avatar and the Damming of Planet Earth

Katy Yan — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:11:38 -0800

Kayapó warriors, Xingu River, Brazil (Terence Turner)

The sci-fi epic Avatar has not only broken records at the box office, but also triggered a wide-ranging debate about the exploitation of the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples. Director James Cameron described his movie as "a broader metaphor (of) how we treat the natural world."

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.

Licença Ambiental da Hidroelétrica de Belo Monte é Condenada

Alexandra De Sá Pereira Meciel Teixeira — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:23:28 -0800

O terceiro maior projeto hidroelétrico do mundo devastará vasta área de floresta Amazônica

Environmental License for Belo Monte Dam Condemned

Aviva Imhof — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:38:09 -0800

World's Third Largest Dam Project Would Devastate Vast Area of Amazon Rainforest

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.

Defending Lake Turkana

Lori Pottinger — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:00:03 -0800

The Gibe 3 Dam, now under construction on the Omo River in Ethiopia, is already fanning tensions over natural resources, all the way downstream to Kenya.

Special Event Intern

Karolo Aparicio — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:50:45 -0800

International Rivers supports communities around the world seeking to stop destructive dams and promote better methods of meeting needs for water, energy and protection from floods. In June, we will Celebrate our 25^th Anniversary with a fundraiser-celebration.

Greenwashing Hydropower: The Problems with Big Dams

Berklee Lowrey-Evans — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:33:05 -0800

From World Watch Magazine, Jan/Feb 2010, Volume 23, No. 1

Tipaimukh High Dam

Katy Yan — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:25:10 -0800

Villagers Protest Tipaimukh Dam (Photo Courtesy of ACATP)

For the last 15 years, communities in both Manipur State (northeast India) and Bangladesh have resisted the proposed Tipaimukh Dam on the Barak River. The 163-meter dam has sparked controversy in both countries over India’s failure to provide public consultations and information sharing with both Bangladesh and indigenous communities. The Indian state-owned utility North East Electric Power Corporation Ltd. (NEEPCO) originally built the dam to control floods but now plans to generate electricity with the dam, which has a capacity of 1500 MW. Most of the electricity would be sold to cities outside the region. According to the Sinlung Indigenous People Human Rights Organization (SIPHRO) of India, “the process for choosing [the project premises] ignored both the indigenous people and the recommendations of the WCD (World Commission on Dams)."

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.