{"id":49662,"date":"2021-02-22T17:22:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T17:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=70eae37fcdb289b82283e5b53f47ed13"},"modified":"2021-02-22T17:22:13","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T17:22:13","slug":"damming-rivers-is-terrible-for-human-rights-ecosystems-and-food-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/02\/22\/damming-rivers-is-terrible-for-human-rights-ecosystems-and-food-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Damming Rivers Is Terrible for Human Rights, Ecosystems and Food Security"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Father<\/a>

There\u2019s some good news amid the grim global pandemic: At long last, the world\u2019s largest dam removal<\/a> is finally happening.<\/p>\n

The landmark agreement<\/a>, which was finalized in November 2020 between farmers, tribes and dam owners, will finally bring down four aging, inefficient dams<\/a> along the Klamath River in the Pacific Northwest. This is an important step in restoring historic salmon runs, which have drastically <\/a>declined in recent years<\/a> since the dams were constructed. It\u2019s also an incredible win for the Karuk and Yurok tribes, who for untold generations have relied on the salmon runs for both sustenance and spiritual well-being.<\/p>\n

The tribes, supported by environmental activists, led a decades-long effort to broker an agreement. They faced vehement opposition from some farmers and owners of lakeside properties, but in 2010, they managed what had seemed impossible: PacifiCorp, the operator of the dams, signed a dam removal agreement, along with 40 other signatories that included the tribes and the state governments of Oregon and California. Unfortunately, progress stalled for years when questions arose around who would pay for the dam removals.<\/p>\n

The dam removal project is a sign of the decline of the hydropower industry, whose fortunes have fallen as the troubling<\/a> cost-benefit ratio of dams has become clear over the years. The rise of more cost-effective and sustainable energy sources (including wind and solar) has hastened this shift. This is exactly the type of progress envisioned by the World Commission on<\/a> Dams<\/a> (WCD), a global multi-stakeholder body that was established by the World Bank and International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1998 to investigate the effectiveness and performance of large dams around the world. The WCD released a damning landmark report<\/a> in November 2000 on the enormous financial, environmental and human costs and the dismal performance of large dams. The commission spent two years<\/a> analyzing the outcome of the trillions of dollars invested in dams, reviewing dozens of case studies and testimonies from over a thousand communities and individuals, before producing the report.<\/p>\n

But despite this progress, we cannot take hydropower\u2019s decline as inevitable. As governments around the world plan for a post-pandemic recovery, hydropower companies sense an opportunity. The industry is eager to recast itself as climate-friendly (it\u2019s not<\/a>) and secure<\/a> precious stimulus funds to revive its dying industry \u2014 at the expense of people, the environment and a truly just, green recovery.<\/p>\n

Hydropower\u2019s Troubling Record<\/h2>\n

The world\u2019s largest hydropower dam removal project on the Klamath River is a significant win for tribal communities. But while the Yurok and Karuk tribes suffered<\/a> terribly from the decline of the Klamath\u2019s fisheries, they were by no means alone in that experience. The environmental catastrophe that occurred along the Klamath River has been replicated all over the world since the global boom in hydropower construction began<\/a> early in the 20th century.<\/p>\n

The rush to dam rivers has had huge consequences. After decades of rampant construction, only 37 percent of the world\u2019s rivers remain free-flowing<\/a>, according to one study<\/a>. River fragmentation has decimated freshwater habitats and fish stocks<\/a>, threatening food security for millions of the world\u2019s most vulnerable people, and hastening the decline of other myriad freshwater species<\/a>, including mammals, birds and reptiles.<\/p>\n