- International Rivers
International Rivers is a
non-profit ,non-governmental , environmental andhuman rights organization based inBerkeley, California . Founded in1985 by a host of social and environmental activists, International Rivers works with a global network of policy and financial analysts, scientists, journalists, development specialists, local citizens and volunteers to address destructivedams and their legacies in over 60 countries.In addition to the
United States , International Rivers has staff inCameroon ,Thailand ,Brazil andGermany . International Rivers staff has expertise in a broad range of issues and uses research, education and advocacy to achieve the organization’s mission.About
International Rivers’ self-stated mission is to protect
rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them, to actively oppose the unsustainable development model that dams perpetuate, and to promote viable solutions for meeting water, energy and flood-management needs. The organization is dedicated to empowering dam-affected people with the tools to participate in the process of development of local lands inAfrica ,Asia andLatin America .By facilitating international
grassroots organizing and informed participation, International Rivers seeks to change the terms of the debate over river development. The group works with its numerous partners to advocate for social reparations, ecological restoration and decommissioning of existing dams. Further, International Rivers states that they continuously work to remove the opacity from the top-down decision-making that traditionally surrounds large infrastructure projects. They also seek to block thehydropower industry from exploiting people’s concerns aboutclimate change , and make clear thatreservoirs often producegreenhouse gas emissions that further impact on the environment. [ [http://www.springerlink.com/content/j45m73001n1108m0/?p=4259c44c9b7748f9a58ea3467fb294db&pi=0 Dams' contributions to greenhouse gas emissions] ]Programs
International Rivers has undertaken a two-pronged approach to analyzing and promoting viable water and energy solutions. Combining its efforts to change global policy with campaigning on specific key projects, International Rivers simultaneously addresses the root causes and localized consequences of destructive dam development. Their campaigns throughout Africa, China, Latin America,
South Asia andSoutheast Asia focus on the intersection of dams and climate change, reforming the policies and practices of international financial institutions, and promoting water and energy solutions that recognize human rights and environmental sustainability.Contributions
Among its accomplishments, International Rivers counts its integral involvement with the formation of the World Commission on Dams as one of its most important contributions. The commission was a global, multi-stakeholder body initiated in
1997 by theWorld Bank and theWorld Conservation Union , formed in response to growing opposition to dams. During its two-year lifetime, the WCD conducted the most exhaustive study of dams done to date, ultimately evaluating over 1,000 dams in 79 countries. [ [http://internationalrivers.org/en/way-forward/world-commission-dams/world-commission-dams-framework-brief-introduction Framework for understanding the WCD report] ] In its published final report, the WCD concluded that although “dams have made an important and significant contribution to human development, and benefits derived from them have been considerable... in too many cases an unacceptable and often unnecessary price has been paid to secure those benefits, especially in social and environmental terms, by people displaced, by communities downstream, by taxpayers and by thenatural environment .” [ [http://www.dams.org/report/ WCD final report] ]International Rivers is further proud of the role it has played in supporting dam-affected citizens around the world. Since the organization’s inception, worldwide construction of dams has decreased by half, and universal recognition of the consequences of hydropower continues to increase.
International Rivers publishes a quarterly journal, World Rivers Review, focused on addressing the state of various dams projects, ecosystems and people. They also publish an annual report on a variety of dam-related subjects. Both are typically available for free
download from the organization's official website.ee also
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Environmental impacts of dams References
External links
* [http://internationalrivers.org/ International Rivers]
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