Why Big Dams are the Wrong Response to Climate Change

International Rivers strongly supports policy measures that can promote a rapid expansion of renewable energy sources. But these measures need to be based on a holistic understanding of sustainability. Large hydropower projects are not a renewable source of energy, can produce significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, and as a recent World Bank report has warned, are not resilient to the vagaries of climate change. Unlike truly renewable energy sources, such projects also have massive social impacts. The scarce resources devoted to the promotion of renewable energy should not be squandered on technologically mature, environmentally destructive and non-renewable forms of energy such as large hydropower. URL:[http://www.internationalrivers.org/files/57867102-Critique-of-Ipcc-Srren.pdf].