Jan 20, 2022 | News, World Commission on Dams
Originally published by IIED (02/12/21) An archive has been launched containing more than 200 documents produced by the World Commission on Dams, whose work culminated in a series of recommendations for best practices in dam planning, construction, operation and...
Nov 5, 2021 | News, World Commission on Dams
Professor Bill Adams, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development, University of Cambridge In 1996, the geographer Richard White published a book on the history of human exploitation of the Columbia River in North America. He called it The Organic Machine. He...
Jun 30, 2021 | World Commission on Dams
The World Commission on Dams (WCD, 1998-2000) was an attempt to overcome conflicts between supporters and opponents of large dams, which had emerged around the world in the late 1980s and 1990s. It was created on the joint initiative of World Bank and IUCN and brought...
Feb 9, 2021 | World Commission on Dams
By Bill Adams Recently, I have found myself wondering how far the world of dams has changed since I began my career. Thirty years ago, I sat down to write the book Wasting the Rain. In it, I tried to challenge the dominant approach to large scale water development...
Nov 20, 2020 | News, Uncategorised, World Commission on Dams
By Christopher Schulz and Bill Adams On 16 November 2000, the World Commission on Dams (WCD) launched its final report in London, in the presence of Nelson Mandela. This event marked the conclusion of an unlikely process. WCD was composed of 12 eminent personalities...
Oct 22, 2020 | News, Research, World Commission on Dams
Latin America is currently seeing a boom in the construction of new dams. Brazil is the world’s third largest producer of hydroelectric energy, largely thanks to its abundant water resources. Small-scale hydropower dams (locally known as PCHs) have become an...
