Dam-it! Actually, Don't...

International Rivers (IR) is a global, environmental non-profit whose mission is “to protect rivers and the rights of the communities who depend on them” (IR). The organization opposes the construction of destructive dams and encourages the implementation of innovative and responsible projects that meet people’s needs for water, energy, and environmental protection.

Formerly the International Rivers Network (IRN), International Rivers was founded in 1985 with the goal of pursuing their mission primarily in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The organization has played an integral role in the successful campaigns against hydroelectric dam projects in Brazil and Nepal, coordinating the “International Day for Rivers,” winning reparation payments for communities in Guatemala resulting from dam projects, and forming the World Commission on Dams.

These goals are met through an aggressive and diverse action plan focusing on community organization and outreach in an effort to empower civil society in affected communities. Another aspect of their work is the focus on “changing the debate,” an organizational effort to pressure destructive dam projects from the top-down by highlighting the future consequences that these projects have on indigenous populations and the environment which they rely on for survival. Campaigns and boycotts are instituted against governments and their corporate partners that help fund large hydroelectric projects. Independent research and evaluations presented by International Rivers challenges government agencies whose rationale and support is based upon large-scale energy needs and a bottom-line approach.

The organization remains active on several fronts, most recently in campaigns against dam projects proposed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Laos, Chile, and Panama. The proposed dam on the Mekong in Laos is beset with issues that would make any human development advocate shudder. The flooding of the particular segment of the Mekong in Laos would endanger the already fragile ecosystem and fisheries that communities living on the river banks rely, while 95% of the energy garnered from the Laotian dam will be sold directly to Thailand.

Photo Credit: International Rivers

The Earth Institute and Sustainability

The Earth Institute (EI) of Columbia University is an organization with the mission of creating “solutions for sustainable development.” This includes taking issues that are cross-cutting and believing that to solve one problem (i.e. climate change) requires taking on all the other challenges (i.e. education) that are related to it.

One of the greatest qualities of the organization is it's leadership. Jeffrey Sachs, a leading world economist, is not only the director of the EI but also a Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development and a Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He also acts as special advisor to United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon and from 2002 to 2006 he was Director of the UN Millennium Project and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Millennium Development Goals. Additionally the EI has taken on a flexible leadership structure that invites participation from the many different parts of the EI and promotes community building.

The EI has a Management Team that handles the operational aspects of the EI, an Academic Committee tonsure the quality of research and education activities and and External Advisory Board that provides guidance regarding priorities in science, public policy and teaching. These three different administrative arms of the EI ensure that their objectives are met as efficiently and effectively as possible.

In creating solutions for sustainable development, the EI works in research, education and the practical application of research for solving real world challenges. One of the ways that they see this happening is by expanding the world's understanding of the Earth as an integrated system. Specifically the EI is working to advance nine interconnected global issues, including: climate and society, water, energy, poverty, ecosystems, public health, food and nutrition, hazards and finally urbanization (use the links to navigate to the EI's specific pages for each project). The EI works all support a fundamental belief within the organization that the Earth has within it, all the necessary tools that are needed to stop climate change, poverty and other critical global issues.

Partnerships for the EI are and should continue to be seen as an important part of the organization. Their websites claims that they will continue to “build partnerships with academia, corporations, nonprofits and individuals as well as governmental, multilateral and private institutions to find effective and sustainable solutions for the world's challenges.” The EI's website goes on to mention that by creating close ties with the stakeholders, in all aspects of their work, will help them in helping the world achieve sustainability.

Earth Institute logo photo from EI website
Earth Photo from State of the Planet, Blogs from the EI

Additional Resources for you to check out!

American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment

The White House on Energy and Environment

Link to my first bog entry about the Millennium Villages Project

HidroAysen Dam Project - Patagonia

In 2005, the HidroAysen Dam Project was proposed as a joint venture by Spanish energy corporation Endesa, S.A. and Chilean electric utility firm Colbún S.A. The plan calls for the construction of five hydroelectric dams in Chile’s southern Patagonia region, with three dams intended to be built on the Pascua River and two on the Baker River. In addition to the five dams, the proposal calls for construction of 1,500 miles of high tension transmission lines through Patagonia’s ecologically sensitive forests and roadless terrain. At an estimated cost of cost of $3.2 billion, the stakes are high for investors, contractors, and energy utilities, and these groups have redoubled their public relations efforts to persuade the Chilean government and public in the face of objection

Since the project’s inception, international environmental and consumer groups as well as Chilean citizens and some government officials have led a raucous protest against HidroAysen, attacking the proposal on several fronts. International Rivers, an international nonprofit that partners with governments and NGOs with the goal of protecting ecologically important rivers and basins, has spearheaded the campaign. Their research has highlighted the gross environmental damage that would be caused if the dams are constructed, including the flooding of one of a kind tracts of rainforest and Chile’s most viable and productive agricultural land in the southern region. The campaign also highlights the abundance of environment-based alternative energy sources in the region, including the potential for solar and wind power production out of the Atacama Desert.

There are also complaints coming from consumer groups inside of Chile and abroad, saying that the project simply pads the pockets of huge energy multi-nationals while monopolizing energy production and distribution in Chile. Many claim that Chileans will be deprived of the energy plan’s benefits, as much of the power will be transmitted to the populous northern cities and mining industries resulting in higher costs for southern Chileans working in more traditional economies. Even corporations in the United States are feeling a consumer backlash, as evidenced by calls for Home Depot to boycott timber purchases resulting from forest loss as a result of the dam’s construction.

The HidroAysen group has been dealt a setback however, as the decision to be made on the environmental impact review has been delayed until April 2011, for the dams only. The environmental impact review for the construction of the transmission lines has not yet begun by HidroAysen.