This year, Earth Day and UN World Environment Day both focus on restoration, for good reason; 97% of Earth’s land area may no longer be ecologically intact. If we don’t urgently make recovery and investment choices that change course, our ecosystems, and humanity itself are on a path to collapse. We’re facing multiple crises: a global pandemic,…
We stand with our partners and friends in Myanmar. We mourn the tragic loss of life and condemn the brutal violence and unimaginable terror they are facing. We applaud their incredible courage. We urge the international and business community to take immediate action to support the brave people of Myanmar in their struggle against this…
Les grands fleuves africains ont nourri certaines des civilisations les plus importantes du monde. Ils ont façonné le rythme de vie d’innombrables générations de peuples riverains, reliant les cultures par-delà les frontières politiques. Malheureusement, du Nil au Zambèze, beaucoup de ces rivières ont été endiguées, détournées, draguées et polluées au nom de la satisfaction des…
By: Deborah Moore, International Rivers Board Member Darryl Knudsen, Executive Director Michael Simon, former Senior Director of Strategy This article was originally featured on Truthout There’s some good news amid the grim global pandemic: At long last, the world’s largest dam removal is finally happening. The landmark agreement, which was finalized in November 2020 between farmers, tribes and…
Current Campaign From snow-capped mountains to Amazonian rainforests, Latin America is home to the Andes-Amazon, the largest freshwater system on the planet. But this vast biome is facing unprecedented threats from a surge in hydroelectric dam construction, pollution and transportation mega-projects. “In a very short time, our species has caused great changes to the biosphere….
Background On the 20th Anniversary of the landmark World Commission on Dams Report, a new report from International Rivers and Rivers without Boundaries charts an alternative course for post-pandemic energy development than the revitalization of a failing hydropower industry. As Rivers for Recovery details, despite the rhetoric of the hydropower industry, the industry’s global flagship…
The following list describes several World Heritage Sites under threat from existing or proposed dams. This is not meant as a comprehensive list of all dam-affected Sites, but rather a first step towards documenting the global threat that many World Heritage Sites currently face. The first five sites include those where International Rivers or our partners have…
By: Monti Aguirre, Latin America Program Director (with Brent Milliken, Latin American Program Director) The global COVID-19 crisis has shed a light on the deep-seated inequities in the way our rivers and the people who depend on them are treated. With the exposure created by this crisis comes an opportunity. As International Rivers adapts to current…
As the climate crisis accelerates, the hydropower industry is attempting to recast large dams as a climate-friendly energy source. Nothing could be further from the truth. First, dam reservoirs (particularly in the tropics) are a globally significant source of methane, one of the world’s most potent greenhouse gases. Free-flowing rivers, on the other hand, play…
The Discussion Brief This brief introduces the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Myanmar Hydropower Sector and seeks to generate dialogue, including around the study’s process, findings and recommendations. While the assessment was a contested process, it produced important outcomes, including the recommendation to reserve the mainstream of Myanmar’s major river basins from hydropower development to…
