A year ago, on October 6, 2019, Golfrid Siregar, an Indonesian environmental lawyer died under suspicious circumstances. He was one of the key activists confronting the Batan-Toru Hydropower Dam built by Sinohydro in the only habitat of endemic Tapanuli Orangutan.

On
October 3, 2019, Golfrid Siregar was found beaten and abandoned on the side of
a road in Medan and died in hospital. The North Sumatran Police who handled the
case have concluded that the reason for his death was due to a single traffic
accident. Although police claim his death …

Sentinel satellite images from July 2 and September 15 show Ulz River before and during construction of the dam

Appeal to Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Dear Ms. Rossler:

Using satellite imagery we established the fact that, in July 2020 Wellmot (Вэлмот) Company started construction of a dam across Ulz River in Dornod Province of Mongolia, the  principle source of water for “Landscapes of Dauria” World Heritage property. It was also reported by the official news agency Montsame[1].

To the best
of our knowledge, this construction started without prior warning of the
adjacent …

Belarusian security officials detained Irina Sukhi, an environmental activist who campaigned against a nuclear power plant built in Belarus near the border with Lithuania by Rosatom, a Russian state-owned company. The arrest was reported on Sunday by Ms. Sukhi’s daughter, Sophie Sadovskaya. She is a member of the council of environmental group Ecohome (EcoDom member of RADA) and Green Net (Zelena Setka) environmental movement. On behalf of Belarus environmental groups Ms. Sukhi took part in formation of Green Silk Road Initiative at 2016 conference in Moscow organized by …

Bisri Valley: Paradise Saved by Peoples’ Persistense

The World Bank said
it had canceled $244 million in undisbursed funds for the Bisri Dam project
in Lebanon. In a statement, the World Bank said it had notified the Lebanese
government about its decision, which takes effect immediately. It said it has
also repeatedly underscored the need for “an open, transparent and inclusive
consultative process.”  The World Bank
committed $474 million to fund the project, of which $244 million have not yet
been disbursed.

As usual the World Bank failed to identify major environmental and social risks associated with the project …

International Renewable Energy
Agency published RE costs data for 2019.

Costs of energy change 2010-2019

Hydropower’s share of global renewable energy capacity fell from 76% (925 GW) in 2010 to just under 47% in 2019. Global installed hydropower capacity (excluding pumped hydro) was 1 189 GW at the end of 2019. It is the only widespread non-fossil energy source for which both cost of construction and cost of electricity (LCOE) increased over past decade.

Solar
photovoltaic (PV) shows the sharpest cost decline over 2010-2019 at 82%,
followed by concentrating solar power (CSP) at 47%, onshore …

By:Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf
Alive

1 September 2020

In past years, the ancient city of Hasankeyf attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, offering them the chance to explore the traces of more than 20 civilizations that contributed to the city’s cultural heritage. Hasankeyf – with a history spanning 12,000 years – held a special appeal to visitors from the region as well as to those from western Turkey and every corner of the globe, and this enabled local residents not only to provide for their families but also to share …