100+ NGOs write to EU negotiators asking them to protect Europe’s rivers from new hydropower deployment in the revised Renewable Energy directive. Ahead of the next political trilogue on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, more than 100 NGOs are sending an open letter to co-legislators from the European Parliament, European Commission and Council Presidency, asking…
Read MoreInternational NGOs Call for Release of Prominent Environmental Defender in Vietnam One Year After 5-Year Prison Sentence
PRESS RELEASE | International NGOs Call for Release of Prominent Environmental Defender in Vietnam One Year After 5-Year Prison Sentence Environmental Lawyer Dang Dinh Bach Is One of Several Silenced by the Vietnamese Government After Attempts to Wean the Country Off of Coal and Protect Communities from Public Health Hazards For Immediate Release: January 24, 2023 MEDIA…
Read MoreInternational Rivers’ statement of concern over treatment of Yanomami children in Brazil
International Rivers notes with alarm the troubling recent reports over the plight of Yanomami children in Brazil, many of whom have suffered mistreatment, malnutrition, and died from preventable diseases. “The violence against and mistreatment of the Yanomami people has been taking place over many years. The Brazilian authorities must urgently act to stop this now…
Read MoreProtegiendo el río Futaleufú; Nueva herramienta legal garantizará el valor turístico y ecosistémico de la zona
Por Leonardo Peña Garcia, Futaleufú Riverkeeper. English version here. El pasado sábado 3 de diciembre se realizó el Lanzamiento de la temporada de turismo aventura en Futaleufú, una de las comunas de la Patagonia y principal destino de turistas nacionales y extranjeros. El río Futaleufú es uno de estos puntos de interés, donde año a…
Read MoreDefending Rivers and Rights at the Biodiversity COP15
By Bonnie Barclay International Rivers joined partners at the UN Biodiversity COP15 meeting (7-19 December 2022) in Montreal. After repeated delays due to the pandemic, decision-makers, country delegates, civil society organizations, and other institutions finally came together to discuss, negotiate and shape the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. International Rivers and our partners’ message was clear:…
Read MoreBCG Economy and Apec: Just empty rhetoric?
Originally published in the Bangkok Post By Pai Deetes The Apec Leaders’ Summit in Bangkok this week includes an agreement to work toward the “Bangkok Goals” on Bio-economy, Circular Economy and Green (BCG) Economy beyond national borders. Many have raised have raised the question of whether the Thai government, as host to the summit, genuinely…
Read MorePress Release | COP27: Groups warn of severe climate and human rights risk of new hydropower dams and schemes
Dams and hydropower schemes create major loss and damage, including producing significant amounts of methane, biodiversity loss, and community displacement. In a warming world, droughts and flooding make hydropower an unreliable energy choice and an increasing danger to downstream communities. An urgent shift away from false solutions that harm people and ecosystems is essential. For…
Read MoreOpen Letter from the Civil Society Group concerning the selection process for the presidency of the IDB Group
Civil society organizations and communities affected by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) projects hope that the current election process for the president of the IDB Group is taken as an opportunity to designate a person prepared to lead the transformations that the institution needs. The Bank should be headed by someone who can respond effectively to…
Read More“We are all nature, and we’re here together to build on how to take our world to a side of more harmony”
Day Two of the Cumbre Madre Tierra October 27 2022, Mexico City – The second day of #CumbreMadreTierra explored the rights of the oceans, rivers and other water sources, and discussed approaches to tackling climate change. Claudia Brindis, United Nations (UN) Harmony with Nature Program expert and operational director for Earth Law Center Mexico, began…
Read MoreNew Study: Solar alternatives would cost less and outperform the proposed Koukoutamba Dam in Guinea
Français ci-dessous On September 20, energy experts from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) with support from International Rivers released a new study entitled, “The feasibility of solar PV to replace the Koukoutamba hydropower plant in Guinea – a quantitative study” (French and English). This study explores the feasibility of renewable energy alternatives to building the proposed…
Read MoreGeopolitics are not accounting for local communities
Originally published in Centre on Asia and Globalisation Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s newsletter Guest Column by Pianporn Deetes is Regional Campaigns Director, Southeast Asia Program at International Rivers Whatever the geopolitics of hydropower brings to the Mekong River, the people living alongside it must have a greater say in its future development….
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