By Flavio Montiel – Interim Director International Rivers – Brazil Brasília (DF) – International Rivers is actively participating in the Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL) in Brasília, which has been taking place since April 4 and will continue until tomorrow, April 14. The ATL brings together more than 6,000 indigenous people from 200 ethnic groups from…
Read MoreCivil society organizations speak out for transparency, participation and the inclusion of traditional communities in the Leticia Pact and financial initiatives for its implementation
CSOs denounce that the Leticia Pact does not include solutions that ensure the sustainability of the Amazon, one of the main ecosystems on which humanity depends. There is concern the measures proposed in the Leticia Pact affect highly sensitive social and environmental areas. In 2019, the governments of Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Guyana…
Read MoreWeaponising water — Ukraine’s dams are targets in Putin’s war
Originally published in EU Observer by Nicholas Hildyard and Josh Klemm In the early hours of 26 February 2022, Ukrainian air defences shot down a Russian missile reportedly heading for the Kyiv dam on the Dnieper River. The hydropower reservoir behind the dam, which Russian forces had unsuccessfully attempted to seize on the first day…
Read More10 reasons why hydropower dams are a false climate solution
Originally published in Alternet by Josh Klemm and Eugene Simonov Not only does hydroelectric power fail to prevent catastrophic climate change, but it also renders countries more vulnerable to climate change while emitting significant amounts of methane, one of the worst greenhouse gases. A river is a spectacular living corridor that feeds forests, fisheries, coastal ecosystems, and…
Read MoreRivers Unite Us! 25th Anniversary Day of Action for Rivers Highlights
On March 14th for the 25th annual International Day of Action for Rivers, people all over the world gathered to protect and celebrate rivers. The International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers, Water and Life was adopted by the participants of the first international meeting of People Affected by Dams in March 1997…
Read MoreNam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project
By International Rivers originally published in The People’s Map of Global China Nam Ou River, Lao People’s Democratic Republic The Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project comprises seven dams, with a combined generating capacity of 1.27 GW. The cascade includes two phases. Phase One has been fully operational since October 2016 and Phase Two since…
Read MoreInga 3: Too High a Cost for both South Africa and the DRC (French & English)
By: Aqeelah Hassen, Africa Program On Thursday the 17th of February International Rivers with partners Womin, Femmes Solidaires (FESO) and Coalition des Organisations de la Société Civile pour le Suivi des Réformes et de l’Action Publique (CORAP) launched the Inga too High a Cost report in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The report assesses the…
Read MoreJoin us in celebrating World Water Day!
Today on World Water Day, we celebrate the essential importance of clean water to our lives. Water is essential to all life. Today, we continue advocating for freshwater and raising awareness for those who fight for the rights of rivers, protection of riverine and indigenous community rights, and access to clean, undammed, undiverted free-flowing rivers….
Read MoreDorado catfish: the Amazon fish with the world’s longest freshwater migration
The Dorado catfish travels almost 7,200 miles up and down the Amazon River. Its life cycle relies on the free flow of this freshwater ecosystem. Versão em português linkada aqui (Portuguese version) One of the three goliath catfish in the Amazon River, the Dorado catfish (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii) is leathery with a metallic coloration. Fishermen and…
Read MoreO peixe amazônico que faz a maior migração exclusiva de água doce do mundo
A dourada percorre mais de 11 mil quilômetros, nascendo na cordilheira dos Andes, descendo até o estuário do rio Amazonas e fazendo o caminho inverso para procriar. Seu ciclo de vida, do estágio larval até a vida adulta, precisa de um fluxo livre de rio e de um estuário protegido. Versão em inglês linkada aqui…
Read MoreInternational Hydropower Association’s Greenwashing of Nam Theun 2 Dam’s Impacts on Indigenous Peoples
by Bruce Shoemaker and Ian G. Baird A newly released article by the International Hydropower Association (IHA), titled “Laos: Hydropower built in consultation with Indigenous communities” by Eduard Wojczynski, holds up the Nam Theun 2 (NT2) hydropower project as a positive example of benefit-sharing for Indigenous communities. The article is presented as a case study…
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