Climate Change / Reports

The following assessment by International Rivers compares the compliance report for the Xiaoxi project to the Strategic Priorities of the WCD, as well as the German Emissions Trading Authority Guideline for Determination of Compliance with the recommendations of the WCD. We begin with background on the report. We then provide a summary of our main observations and a detailed critique of the report. We end with conclusions and recommendations.

International Rivers' third annual "Dams, Rivers & People" report explains the failure of the world's biggest carbon offsets program to make a dent in greenhouse-gas emissions. It also maps the world of rivers and dams for the past year and pinpoints hotspots for the coming year.

As the World Bank unveiled its new Investment Framework on Clean Energy and Development at its annual meeting in Singapore in September 2006, a coalition of environment and development organizations charge that the strategy will not be effective at combating climate change and expanding energy access for the poor.

This summary of the report, “Twelve Reasons to Exclude Large Hydro from Renewables Initiatives,” has been prepared for distribution at the International Conference for Renewable Energies, Bonn, June 2004. This summary has been endorsed by 247 groups and networks in 61 countries.

Eradicating poverty and reducing global warming are two of the biggest challenges facing the world in the 21st century. The urgent need to address these challenges has led to many initiatives to promote renewable energies. While the aim of these efforts should be strongly supported, they could be counterproductive if – as the large hydro industry is advocating – they are turned into instruments to promote hydropower megaprojects.