14 DAY TRIAL // A five-year investigation whose findings were recently published in the journal Water Resources Research has revealed that, contrary to what some people think, small hydropower projects aren't exactly eco-friendly.
Researchers working with the Oregon State University say that, all things considered, small dams wreak havoc on natural ecosystems and threaten biodiversity.
They explain that, although they help reduce the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions that human society produces on a daily basis, it often happens that the damage they cause to the environment trumps whatever benefits they might yield.
More so given the fact that small hydropower projects typically aren't as closely monitored as big-scale ones are.
“The Kyoto Protocol, under Clean Development Mechanism, is funding the construction of some of these small hydroelectric projects, with the goal of creating renewable energy that’s not based on fossil fuels,” specialist Desiree Tullos explains.
“The energy may be renewable, but this research raises serious questions about whether or not the overall process is sustainable. There is damage to streams, fisheries, wildlife, threatened species and communities,” she goes on to argue.
Desiree Tullos and her fellow researchers reached these conclusions while investigating the environmental impact of the Nu River system in China.
However, they say that their findings hold true for other small hydropower projects all across the globe.