Civil society warns against hydropower projects as solutions to climate change, referring to adverse human rights impacts
Large hydropower projects are often propagated as a โclean and greenโ source of electricityโฆYet large hydropower projects are a false solution to climate change. They should be kept out fromโฆclimate initiatives for the following reasons: 1โฆhydropower reservoirs emit significant amounts of greenhouse gasesโฆ2โฆHydropower projectsโฆimpair the role of rivers to act as global carbon sinks by disrupting the transport of silt and nutrients. 3. Hydropower dams make water and energy systems more vulnerable to climate changeโฆ4โฆdams cause severe and often irreversible damage to critical ecosystemsโฆ5โฆhydropower projects have serious impacts on local communities and often violate the rights of indigenous peoplesโฆ6โฆhydropower projects are not always an effective tool to expand energy access for poor peopleโฆ7โฆhydropower projects would be a costly โฆ8โฆhydropower is no longer an innovative technologyโฆ9. Wind and solar power have become readily availableโฆ10. Hydropower projectsโฆabsorb significant support from other climate initiatives.