(March 4, 2011) Peter Bosshard of International Rivers writes in the Guardian that China’s dam building frenzy threatens to destroy the country’s biodiversity. Ironically, trying to aggressively reduce CO2 emissions by building megadams will do more harm than good for the environment.
Hydropower projects speed up in Tibet
(February 28, 2011) Amanda Wu of China Tibet Online reports that Tibet is planning to spend $700 million on a new megadam project.
Brazilian court halts mega dam for violating environmental regulations
(February 26, 2011) Bloomberg reports that construction of the $11 billion Belo Monte dam in Brazil has been halted by a Federal court decision, citing violation of 29 separate environmental regulations.
Chinese dams are seeking to outshine the stars in the sky
(February 25, 2011) French journalist Claude Arpi writes that the Chinese dam lobby is using global warming to ram through catastrophic dam projects.
China’s Three Gorges Project to be completed in five years
(February 25, 2011) Chinese official media reports that construction of the Three Gorges Dam will be completed in five years. Cost estimates for the project range from $22.5 billion to $70 billion USD, and it has displaced over 1.4 million people.
Danger Pent Up Behind Aging Dams
(February 21, 2011) Aging dams have become a growing problem in the United States, and a potential threat to downstream populations. Besides the perils of elderly infrastructure, putting off repairs due to belt-tightening in a time of recession can aggravate lurking dangers from internal erosion, over-topping, and earthquakes.
China bids to ease drought with $1bn emergency water aid
(February 11, 2011) The Chinese government plans to spend $1 billion to divert water, construct emergency wells and improve irrigation in an effort to “head off a destabilising level of stress over water.” Current drought conditions are the worst that China has seen in 60 years.
Is hydropower exploitation of the Nu river in China ‘a must’?
(February 10, 2011) Meng Si of China Dialogue wrote in today’s Guardian that damming the Nu River in an attempt to reduce emissions will devastate the local environment. Below is an excerpt, and link to the full story.
Ecologists dread new dam boom
(February 10, 2011) Global Times recounts the dangers of dam building that ecologists have been warning about for years.
China Dialogue: Cascade effect
(February 8, 2011) Philip Hirsh at China Dialogue writes about the downstream effects of Chinese dam projects. Below is an excerpt, and a link to the full article at China Dialogue.
Chinese official media boasts of record number of Three Gorges tourists
(February 8, 2011) Chinese official media outlet Xinhua boasts that the Three Gorges Dam reported a record 1.45 million tourist arrivals last year. If accurate, this means that there are now as many annual tourists as there were local residents forcibly resettled to build the dam.
China’s Golden Waterway?
(February 7, 2011) Here is an article on the Three Gorges Dam we stumbled upon written by University of Victoria PHD student Trevor Williams. The article was inspired by a seminar by Probe International Fellow Dai Qing presented at the University of Victoria.
Economic Observer on China’s hydro dam push
(February 4, 2011) This recent Economic Observer story provides a glimpse into the Chinese Government’s upcoming dam building frenzy.
An Inconvenient Truth: China Uses Global Warming to Justify Controversial Nu River Dams Project
(February 3, 2011) The Government of China is using international pressure to reduce carbon emissions as a pretense to build a series of controversial power stations on the pristine Nu River—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—despite opposition from environmentalists and human rights advocates.
Bond markets and good governance—a match made in heaven
(January 31, 2011) Bond markets have taken the profligate Spanish government to task. Foreign aid officials take note.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
Probe International 