About
International Rivers' self-stated mission is to protect rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them, to actively oppose the unsustainable development model that dams perpetuate, and to promote viable solutions for meeting water, energy and flood-management needs. The organization is dedicated to empowering dam-affected people with the tools to participate in the process of development of local lands in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
By facilitating international grassroots organizing and informed participation, International Rivers seeks to change the terms of the debate over river development. The group works with its numerous partners to advocate for social reparations, ecological restoration and decommissioning of existing dams. Further, International Rivers states that they continuously work to remove the opacity from the top-down decision-making that traditionally surrounds large infrastructure projects. They also seek to block the hydropower industry from exploiting people’s concerns about climate change, and make clear that reservoirs often produce greenhouse gas emissions that further impact on the environment.
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