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The Thirsty Dragon: Mekong Water Use Tests China’s Claimed ‘Good-Neighborliness’
May 16th, 2023
Via The Pacific Forum, a look at China’s use of Mekong River water: China claims to be a uniquely benevolent international actor—a great power that, unlike other great powers past and present, does not practice “power politics” (self-interested bullying of smaller states) and is not “selfish” or warlike. The PRC government styles itself as the custodian of principles […]
Read more »Potential Solutions for Vietnam’s Water Scarce Delta
May 2nd, 2023
Via East Asia Forum, a look at potential solutions for the water-scarce Mekong Delta: The 21st century has seen a rapid increase in the number of countries in the Global South experiencing water scarcity. In the Mekong region, environment–development conflicts driven by climate change and upstream hydropower development jeopardise water supply in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). […]
Read more »Is It a Lake, or a Battery? A New Kind of Hydropower Is Spreading Fast.
May 2nd, 2023
Courtesy of The New York Times, a look at pumped storage: For a century, hydroelectric power has been synonymous with gigantic dams — feats of engineering that provide renewable energy but displace communities and destroy ecosystems. New research released Tuesday by Global Energy Monitor reveals a transformation underway in hydroelectric projects — using the same […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Worst Drought In A Century
April 21st, 2023
Via YouTube, a report on China’s worst drought in a century: Since the second half of last year, droughts have persisted in many parts of China. This severe drought, recognised as a once-in-a-century event, has caused many rivers to dry up and reservoirs to reach record lows, with some areas struggling to guarantee the supply […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger: What Is Driving Dam Construction in India’s Northeast?
April 20th, 2023
Via The Third Pole, a look at how India is currently building as many as six large hydropower plants in Arunachal Pradesh despite experts saying that high costs, environmental damage and human rights concerns raise questions about the rationale behind the government’s push for dams: Tone Mickrow, a member of the indigenous Idu Mishmi community, lives […]
Read more »Thirsty Dragon: NW China On Water Alert As Yellow River Runs Low
April 19th, 2023
Via the South China Morning Post, a report on new water alerts in northwest China: Water management authorities in northwestern China have warned of shortages in the Yellow River this year that could worsen in the years to come, posing a risk to agriculture in Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. The two autonomous regions cover the […]
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