(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.
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.
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.
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.
Environment officials claim hydroelectric power is dirtier than thermal power, not a clean solution at all
(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.
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.
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.”
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.
MSNBC: As US debates, China acts with a building boom
(December 19, 2010) Gravel-laden barges glide past the willow-fringed banks of the Grand Canal, plying a trade route built 2,500 years ago to bring grain from China’s fertile south to its rulers in the north.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
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Probe Media
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