Category: <span>Greening Silk Road</span>

Hydropower Policy BRIef: Global Trends in 2020. Part I

Dedicated to the 2021 World Hydropower Congress, this Brief provides a review of hydropower development in 2020 and rich statistics on hydropower in the 21 century. It notes a modest role of hydropower in renewable energy (RE) revolution, global decline in annual hydropower expansion for the last 7 years. Section …

Hydropower Sustainability Tools Will Help the IHA Members to Build More Dams Affecting Protected Areas?!

It has been almost two weeks since the International Hydropower Association (IHA) announced its “historic commitment” not to build dams inside the World Heritage areas. It became about the last in the long line of industries who have been convinced by the World Heritage Center to declare such a commitment. …

Could China Become the Champion in Dam Removal?

Bloomberg   As President Xi Jinping calls for greater environmental protection, officials are eager to demolish badly-planned dams. But the country will need vast amounts of clean hydroelectric power to meet its net-zero goal. China is trying to wean its massive economy off coal and fossil fuels to meet its …

The Turgusun-1 Project Demonstrates Why Hydropower Is a Bad Option for Kazakhstan

According to Xinhua agency the China-built Turgusun hydropower plant has been operating at full capacity since mid-July and will help ease a power shortage in East Kazakhstan Region. The plant is located on the Turgusun River near the city of Altai. Built by the China International Water and Electric Corporation …

Daursky Strict Scientific Nature Reserve Almost Doubles in Size

State Strict Scientific Nature Reserve (Zapovednik) Daursky has been expanded by Governmental Decree #1301 issued on August 4, 2021. The area of the strictly protect area has been expanded from 45 000 hectares to 84 000 ha (more than by 80%) by adding 11 new adjacent land plots in grassland …

World Heritage as a “No Go” Zone for Investment in Industry and Infrastructure

Dams threatening Lake Baikal and five other iconic areas are featured in a new report by Friends of the Earth US “World Heritage Forever? How Banks Can Protect the World’s Most Iconic Cultural and Natural Sites”. The report is examining how the international banking sector lacks strong policies and practices …