Dam Hydropower
The massive earthquake and aftershocks in China's Sichuan province unveiled the weaknesses in dams in the country. Today on Earthbeat we look at hydropower's problems - and some possible solutions.
Host Daphne Wysham speaks to a senior advisor to the US Army Corps of Engineers - Jerome Delli Priscoli. He's the editor of a scientific journal by the World Water Council as well as the editor of the forthcoming book, Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts.
Joining the conversation to discuss her recent travels and analysis of China's dams is Nicole Brewer, the China global program associate for the California-based group International Rivers.
Greedy developers around the world are manipulating hydropower's clean-energy reputation for profit in the world-wide trade of carbon credits. International River's Executive Director Patrick McCully joins us, and discussing the links between this and US climate legislation is Kate Horner of Friends of the Earth.
Then, a discussion of how some dam projects actually contribute to global warming and how to build a clean dam with Jerome Delli Priscoli and Brian Richter, the co-leader of the Global Freshwater Team at The Nature Conservancy.
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Image courtesy of Taylor Miles via Flickr.