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Decision makers have long relied upon large infrastructure projects such as dams to secure access to water. But the increasing unpredictability of our climate highlights the need for smarter water management systems that engineers, economists, and even ecologists can all get behind.
Research supported by the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), focused on integrating ecological principles into the early stages of infrastructure planning and design, is covered in the December 9 issue of The International New York Times. The story begins:
Hydroelectric dams grace bank notes in developing countries, from Mozambique to Laos, Kyrgyzstan to Sri Lanka, a place of honor reflecting their reputation as harbingers of prosperity.
That esteem, now enhanced by hydropower’s presumed low-carbon profile, continues to overrule concerns about environmental consequences and displaced people, as evidenced by a surge in dam-building in the developing world.
The phenomenon is perhaps most intense in the Mekong River Basin, in Southeast Asia, where 12 more dams are planned for the main stem of the river and 78 on its tributaries.
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