"For many developing countries hungry for energy sources, hydropower is an attractive option. But dams also can place heavy burdens on surrounding populations and eco-systems. While China touts its Three Gorges dam - the world's largest - as environmentally friendly, the United States has begun tearing down a number of its own structures for safety, economic, and environmental reasons. To broaden your knowledge of dams around the world, explore below the economic, environmental, social, and political aspects of five big dam projects in Turkey, Brazil, Laos, Lesotho, and China.
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Fresh water accounts for only 2.5% of Earth's water, yet it is vital for human civilization. What are our sources of fresh water? In the first of a two part series on fresh water, Christiana Z. Peppard breaks the numbers down and discusses who is using it and to what ends.
he Snowy Mountains Scheme has affected the ecology of Snowy Mountain rivers and streams. The Snowy Water Inquiry identified the need to increase flows to the Snowy River below Jindabyne and the Snowy montane rivers.