Environmental Impacts

Fish are dying at an alarming rate because of the Santo Antônio Dam. (Instituto Rio Madeira Vivo)

This blog in Brazil caught our eye recently: catfish are now disappearing at an alarming rate from the Madeira River, thanks to the reservoir of the Santo Antônio Dam.

When the environmental license for the Santo Antônio Dam was approved against the findings of fish experts, Lula controversially claimed that the dams would not be stopped because of "some catfish." Now, the catfish are disappearing. Don't say we didn't warn you. 

Myitsone Protest (courtesy of the BBC)

The success of Burma's civil society groups in halting the Myitsone Dam may come as a surprise to many, but it is a product of the depth and strength of opposition to the project. It is also an indication that a different type of Burmese government is now in charge. The Burmese government's decision to suspend the controversial project on the headwaters of the Irrawaddy also highlights the serious risks of not engaging with civil society critics.

The Myitsone Dam was one of the first projects to really "get under my skin" here at International Rivers. The environmental and social impacts were simply unbelievable. The Myitsone Dam was to generate some 6,000 megawatts of power – of which the majority was to be sent to China – while creating a reservoir the size of Singapore with a depth of a 66-story building. 12,000 Kachin people were expected to be relocated to make way for the dam and up to 20,000 would have been affected by its construction and operation.

(美國太空總署)污染、建水壩、農業等人類行為皆會衝擊河流，放諸天下皆準。9 月29日，一個由國際科學家所組成的團隊發表了有史以來第一篇探討這些衝擊的總體評論。他們的研究結果看起來不太漂亮：因為人類的用水安全及生物多樣性遭受嚴重威脅，世界上近80％人口所賴以維生的河流也深受其害。在歐洲與美國，儘管已挹注幾十億元的投資，河流生態系受到的威脅卻特別嚴重。好消息是，聰明又划算的解決方法是有的。繼續讀下去吧！