Rivers without Boundaries

UNESCO-IUCN mission visits Western Tien Shan amidst growing threats to the World Heritage

A UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature reactive monitoring mission has completed a visit to Central Asia to assess the state of the transboundary World Heritage Site Western Tien Shan. During the visit, experts studied the threats associated with plans for economic development of the territory. Rivers without Boundaries Public Foundation reports. Illegal gold …

Russian-language version of the UNESCO Guidance for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context Published in Kazakhstan

On June 11, 2024, Rivers without Boundaries and the UNESCO regional office for Central Asia in Almaty (Kazakhstan) received printed copies of the first edition of the Russian translation of the special Guidance for impact assessments in a World Heritage context. The publication was supported by the Critical Ecosystems Conservation …

Krapivinskaya Hydro – a False Alternative to Coal

As Russian Government is dreaming to restore Soviet Union it seeks to revive most bizarre and harmful infrastructure projects conceived and even partly built during the XX century. Some of those are large dams on still free flowing rivers. Even now, when civil freedoms are suppressed and punished, local activists …

The World Bank Response: Megadams is the New Bretton Woods’ Answer to Climate Change

 In March 2024 17 civil society groups sent an appeal to the World Bank and 10 more international banks and funds urging them to rethink approach to the Rogun Hydro in Tajikistan. After 40 days of silence The World Bank issued a detailed response which, instead of answering specific questions …

International Energy Agency: “Hydropower is particularly sensitive to the cost of capital”

Hydropower issues in the IEA report on “Reducing Cost of Capital” The International Energy Agency issued an interesting report on reducing the cost of capital for “clean energy”, including hydropower. The Rivers without Boundaries considers it a timely publication in the era of rising interest rates, and is happy to …

Hydropower stepped down as the global renewable power champion

A year earlier than it was previously forecasted to happen the installed capacity of solar power plants reached 37% of all global renewable energy, which left hydropower behind with 33%. Renewable Capacity Statistics 2024 released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows that 2023 set a new record in …