It’s basically emissions free and a cornerstone of today’s global renewable energy supply. But many hydro-electric plants destroy rivers and the communities that live in and around them. Are hydropower’s intrusive dams the price we have to pay for carbon neutrality? Paul Hockenos reports Renewable energy enthusiasts, of which I am one, tend to have little patience when it comes to “not in my back yard” (NIMBY) protesters who object to the likes of transmission lines and wind turbines obscuring their view. It’s obvious to us that the clean-energy transition must have the highest priority. Otherwise, there will be no lovely landscapes and bountiful rivers left to appreciate. Climate change is already wreaking lethal havoc on the world of flora and fauna, just look at Australia’s wildfires. So does that justify all forms of renewable energy? No, all renewable energy sources are neither equal nor welcome. Just because an energy source is zero or low emissions doesn’t mean that it’s intrinsically good for the enviornment – take nuclear power, for instance, which many countries (rightly) … Continue reading Wriggling Out of the Hydropower Conundrum