Featured video: are hydroelectric dams a solution to climate change?
Jeremy Hancemongabay.com
November 28, 2011
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A new video from NGOs International Rivers and Friends of the Earth International argues that a spree of dam building in the tropics is a false solution to the climate crisis. The video has been released to coincide with the UN's 17th Climate Summit now beginning in Durban, South Africa.
With precipitation becoming less assured due to climate change, the video argues that large-scale hydroelectric dams can no longer be depended on for electricity, since less river flow often means less power. In addition, dams in the tropics emit significant amounts of methane due to rotting vegetation, meaning they are not climate neutral. In fact, a recent study found that greenhouse gases were still being emitted a decade after construction. Finally, the video contends that wild rivers are needed to help species and people adapt to the rising impacts of a warmer world.
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