"The Fight to Save Glaciers and Free-Flowing Rivers From False Climate Solutions", 21 March 2025

Hydropower promises clean energy but threatens ecosystems and communities, like those along the glacier-fed Karnali River — one of the world’s longest free-flowing rivers. As global temperatures rise, Nepal’s leaders can lead by halting destructive dam projects and prioritizing the ecological, cultural, and economic value of free-flowing rivers.

Among the world’s most critical freshwater systems is the Karnali, one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the Himalayas and the last of the big rivers in Nepal without dams. ...ongoing hydropower development pressures. ..More than just a river, the Karnali is a cornerstone of a vibrant ecosystem and the livelihoods and culture of the Indigenous communities that have called its banks home for generations. Originating from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau, specifically the Karnali Glacier in the Kailash Range, it begins near Lake Mansarovar, close to the sacred Mount Kailash. The river’s flow is sustained by a delicate balance of glacial meltwater, snowmelt, and seasonal rainfall.

...

Currently, the river is under threat from three proposed hydropower projects. The destructive impacts of such projects are well documented, from displacing local communities to disrupting vital economic activities like fisheries. Even a single project could have disastrous upstream and downstream effects, harming wildlife habitats, biodiversity, community health, and recreational opportunities by blocking the river’s flow, sediment transport, and fish migration. .. Although hydropower is often promoted as a clean energy source, it is, in reality, a false solution to climate change and should not be considered a sustainable or climate-friendly option. Hydroelectric dams and their reservoirs create tremendous amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and negatively impact biodiversity, Indigenous communities, river-based livelihoods, and wildlife habitats.