Damming the rivers of the Amazon basin

Damming the rivers of the Amazon basin

More than a hundred hydropower dams have already been built in the Amazon basin and numerous proposals for further dam constructions are under consideration. The accumulated negative environmental effects of existing dams and proposed dams, if constructed, will trigger massive hydrophysical and biot...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Latrubesse, Edgardo Manuel, Arima, Eugenio Y., Dunne, Thomas, Park, Edward, Baker, Victor R., D'Horta, Fernando M., Wight, Charles, Wittmann, Florian, Zuanon, Jansen, Baker, Paul A., Ribas, Camila C., Norgaard, Richard B., Filizola, Naziano, Ansar, Atif, Flyvbjerg, Bent, Stevaux, Jose C.
Other Authors: Asian School of the Environment
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Science::Geology
Ecosystem Ecology
Environmental Impact
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/143278
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:More than a hundred hydropower dams have already been built in the Amazon basin and numerous proposals for further dam constructions are under consideration. The accumulated negative environmental effects of existing dams and proposed dams, if constructed, will trigger massive hydrophysical and biotic disturbances that will affect the Amazon basin's floodplains, estuary and sediment plume. We introduce a Dam Environmental Vulnerability Index to quantify the current and potential impacts of dams in the basin. The scale of foreseeable environmental degradation indicates the need for collective action among nations and states to avoid cumulative, far-reaching impacts. We suggest institutional innovations to assess and avoid the likely impoverishment of Amazon rivers.

Similar Items