Dear Friend,
In October, our staff came together from all over the world for our annual meetings here in Berkeley. This is a rare time, when our colleagues from India, Thailand, South Africa, Brazil and China join forces to take stock of our progress, think hard about what lessons we are can harvest from the year gone by, and develop bold, innovative approaches to protect our rivers.
Our staff had arrived at a difficult moment, as fires raged in northern California. The air was dense with ash, and the sun was an orange orb through the haze. But it reminded us of the grave immediacy of our work: The climate is changing, and those fires were harbingers of worse to come. Now is the time to protect and restore our water resources, and to build resilience, so that we can lessen the climate change impacts we’re already experiencing.
We took a moment to celebrate the hard work that culminated in the launch of our new strategic plan just days before our team arrived in town, and then got right back to work, talking together about how to turn this vision into action. We have set ourselves six very ambitious goals for the next five years, and we are gearing up to launch some exciting new campaigns in the coming months. Stay tuned!
We know that these connections – between staff and between movements – are essential as we move forward. We are so proud that you're on this journey with us.
TOP STORIES
Antônia Melo Wins Soros Award
Our longtime partner Antônia Melo was awarded the prestigious Alexander Soros Foundation Award for Environmental and Human Rights Defenders in October. Kate Horner was honored to speak alongside Alex Soros at the ceremony in New York honoring Antônia's lifetime of achievement. Antônia's work to hold dam builders accountable has inspired communities around Brazil and globally, and we continue to stand alongside her. See a video about Antônia, and learn more about the full ceremony.
Congo Rich in Renewable Energy
Many developing countries believe that hydropower is the only way to power development. Our new report, “Renewable Riches,” took a close look at the Democratic Republic of Congo and put that myth to rest for good. DRC is rich in wind and solar resources located near existing transmission lines, and an astonishing 85 GW of potential could bring desperately-needed power to the Congolese people much faster, and more cheaply, than large dams.
Teesta River Communities Raise Their Voices
River communities along the Teetsa River, a lifeline for northern India and Bangladesh, have secured a major victory this year. After years of watching their crops die and fish disappear as dams and climate change wreak havoc on the river’s ecology, these communities are now meeting with policymakers to hammer out a vision for sustainable management of the river basin. Read more about how we’re helping bring communities together to advocate for rivers.
Pristine Patagonian Rivers Saved
Another nail has been driven into the coffin of the ill-conceived HidroAysen hydropower project. Two energy companies were vying to build five large dams in the heart of Chilean Patagonia on the pristine Baker and Pascua Rivers. The project was officially stalled in 2015, and victory was declared. But now the companies involved say they’re dissolving the HidroAysén alliance, and returning water rights to the rivers to the Chilean government. Huzzah! Learn more about the win, and our growing mandate to permanently protect rivers.
Mekong River on the Brink
The Mekong River feeds 65 million people in Southeast Asia, but dams are threatening its rich productivity. Journey with us to Cambodia, where residents express how much a free-flowing Mekong means to them, and then upstream to the Siphandone, where locals have honed knowledge of their river over generations and are now seeing big changes. Despite challenges, we continue to fight for this endangered but mighty waterway.
In solidarity,
Kate Horner
Photo by International Rivers: Staff in front of "La Llorona's Sacred Waters," a mural by Juana Alicia in San Francisco's Mission District.
International Rivers is an environmental and human rights organization with staff on four continents.
For three decades, we have been at the heart of the global struggle to protect rivers and the rights of communities that depend on them.
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+1 (510) 848-1155 | internationalrivers.org
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