(January 27, 2011) China’s ministry in charge of environmental protection says hydropower can be dirtier than coal power. Chinese Hydroelectric Engineering Association accuses them of slander.
Expect geological trouble at Three Gorges: report
(January 24, 2011) A new report from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) says the Three Gorges valley is prone to geological hazards such as tsunami-causing landslides and reservoir-induced earthquakes, which are most likely to occur within 3-5 years after the reservoir reaches its maximum height.
China gung-ho over hydropower
(January 24, 2011) Canadian Consulting Engineer cites a report by Probe International on the Chinese government’s recent push to support the hydro power sector.
China’s coming fall
(January 22, 2011) Lawrence Solomon writes that, like the Soviet Union before it, China’s supposed boom is illusory—and just as likely to come crashing down.
Carbon Credit Watch: Fraud in carbon markets continues
(January 21, 2011) Cases of fraud and corruption have plagued carbon markets since their inception more than five years ago. As recent media reports suggest, officials in charge of regulating these markets have failed to keep them clean.
New Chinese Dam Project Fuels Ethnic Conflict in Sudan
(January 20, 2011) Peter Bosshard, policy director of International Rivers, reports that Chinese companies have won contracts to build three more dams in Sudan. But one of these dams, Bosshard reports, has already faced human rights abuses. You can read the full story here, or after the jump.
China to usher in a “golden decade” for hydro power sector
(January 19, 2011) As China rushes to meet lofty goals to cut carbon emissions, officials say the country’s hydropower sector will experience a “golden decade.”
Last refuge of rare fish threatened by Yangtze dam plans
(January 18, 2011) Developers of hydroelectric plant have redrawn the boundaries of a crucial freshwater reserve for rare and economically important species, writes the Guardian’s Jonathan Watts.
A new era for Tibet’s rivers
(January 17, 2011) Construction of a massive dam on the Yarlung Zangbo marks a turning point for Tibet, write He Haining and Jiang Yannan for China Dialogue.net. A development boom is coming.
Comparison of Three Gorges specifications in Canadian feasibility study with those chosen by Chinese officials
(January 12, 2011) Comparison of specifications recommended by the Canadian engineering feasibility study[1] with those chosen and built by the Chinese Government for the Three Gorges dam.
One year after the earthquake, foreign help is actually hurting Haiti
(January 7, 2011) Alex Dupuy, a native of Haiti, is a professor of sociology at Wesleyan University, talks about why foreign aid has continually failed Haitian citizens–and this time it’s going to be no different.
China’s Yellow River basin hit by serious erosion
(January 5, 2011) The Associated Press says a new government report in China found 62 percent of China’s Yellow River basin area has been seriously impacted by water and soil erosion, making it one of the worst examples of erosion in the world.
Scientists Push Desalination To Meet Water Shortages
(December 30, 2010) While China faces grave water shortages, researchers at institutions across the country are working on new water- saving and desalination technologies that they hope can alleviate the crisis in the crucial years to come.
China counts £130bn cost of economic growth
(December 28, 2010) The Guardian’s Jonathan Watts writes that the cost of pollution, deteriorating soil and other impacts cost China 1.3 trillion yuan, or 3.9% of the country’s GDP, in 2008.
A never-ending story: More Canadian foreign aid money lost to corruption, this time in Kenya
(December. 23, 2010) Canada’s foreign aid agency once again finds itself in the middle of a corruption scandal involving its funds.