By Eugene Simonov. RwB. On August 26, 2026, the mountains on Nepali-Chinese border roared, delivering a terrifying verdict on decades of unchecked infrastructure development. High above the Langtang region, a massive chunk of bedrock and glacier ice detached, triggering a catastrophic rock-ice avalanche. Within minutes, an estimated 110 to 130 …
A long exposure view of Karnali River below Shreenagar village of Humla. by Nabin Baral, Karnali Expedition. Written by Gary Wockner and Megh Ale The recent disaster that sent a wall of water and debris roaring down rivers of the Tibetan Plateau serves as a warning for future hydropower development …
In late August 2026, the mountains of central Nepal roared, and a geological time bomb finally detonated. Following the collapse of a glacier near the Tibetan border, a catastrophic wall of water, mud, and debris tore through the Bote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys. For the communities and workers caught …
Over the past decade, energy officials and climate activists have grown accustomed to celebrating the rapid decrease in solar and wind power generation costs. However, in 2025, it was energy storage, not renewable generation, that provided a cause for celebration. Hydropower now faces pressure from the development of other storage …
Over ten years of its existence, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has considered just ten hydropower projects for financing. Three were cancelled, seven received approvals. Only one was implemented without co-financiers — a refinancing of an already-built hydropower plant in Vietnam. This record speaks for itself: the bank is …
At the end of 2025, the Russian government and legislature undertook an unprecedented attempt to weaken key nature conservation laws. After two years of intense debate, the ‘Law on the Protection of Lake Baikal’ was amended by the Russian State Duma on 9 December 2025 and signed by the President …
