Welcome to our blog about mega dams and their effects throughout the world.
Deriving energy from the flow of water has recently gained popularity again as a supposed “green” method of powering our cities; however, there are many negative externalities to consider before we move forward constructing hydroelectric dams on a widespread scale to replace our dirty fossil fuels.
Mega dams adversely effect their surrounding environment their entire lives, from the beginning when required materials are being produced to decades later when the mega dam either structurally fails or is demolished. These harmful consequences equate to economic, ecological, and humanitarian costs that must be considered when weighing the pros and cons of dam building. For each of our tabs we focus on a topic that we find to be particularly important when evaluating the viability of dams, looking at the costs of construction, the ecological impacts of a changing landscape with an active dam, and effects on fisheries' populations and local industries.
When evaluating these factors, our discussion mainly stays focused on environmental and a few economic impacts dams have on other industries, only brushing upon the numerous and severe humanitarian ramifications of dams. To give you a glimpse of this side and a general introduction to our topic as a “false solution,” view the short video below from International Rivers Organization.
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