Rivers without Boundaries

What’s wrong with Silk Road Dams in Lake Baikal Basin?

The Silk Road Initiative lacks clear environmental safeguards and specific green development guidelines. The China-backed Egin Gol Hydropower Project in Mongolia could disturb the sensitive ecosystem of the lake. Every Chinese person knows about one place in Siberia – Lake Baikal. It is not necessarily famous for its unique biodiversity …

Lake Baikal locals appealed to China’s agencies

  To: Dr.Chen Jining, Minister of Environmental Protection of China; CC: Mr. Gao Hucheng, China Ministry of Commerce; Mr. Liu Liange CEO, China EXIM Bank; Mr.Chen Xiaohua, CEO, Gezhouba International Co. Dear Dr. Chen: We are addressing You as participants of public hearings on ESIA for "Shuren HPP" Project taking …

Save the Lake Baikal – a victim of climate and hydropower

An appeal  to the Paris Climate Summit in from the Northeast Asia’s leading environmental groups and research institutions Many government and industry players market large hydropower, as a "solution for climate change", while in reality it often exacerbates climate change, impacts on resilience of aquatic ecosystems and diminishes the adaptation …

Environmental historian: Lake Baikal in peril due to dams, fires and climate change

Bryce Stewart, marine biologist, published in “The Ecologist” his impressions from a field trip to the “Sacred Sea” this summer.  We republish it in abridged version. When you mention Siberia to most people they think of snow, ice and extreme cold – a remote place people were exiled to in …

Baikal World Heritage, World Bank and Dams – Two Steps in Right Direction

World Bank Agreed That Arguments Against Dams In Selenge Basin Are Valid. -World Heritage Committee Requested Environmental Assessments – Will Mongolia listen? Baikal and Hydropower Lying in the heart of Siberia Lake Baikal fed by Selenge River is the oldest freshwater depository on Earth containing 20% of drinkable water of …