In an op-ed recently published in The New York Times, the authors, members of the Greengrants family, state, “If we are to arrest global climate change, prevent the toxifying of freshwater sources and do right by all those who depend on rivers for survival, we must return more rivers to their natural state.”
The authors call for protection of rivers around the world, many of which are threatened by large-scale dam projects, which provide electricity to far away cities and environmentally detrimental mines.
Hydroelectric dams emit a billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, outpacing even the aviation industry. This is because hydroelectric dams, when built, flood large areas of vegetation, fueling decomposition and releasing harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Additionally, dams worldwide have displaced an estimated 80 million people, and they threaten to drive one million plant and animal species to extinction.
In Chile, environmentalists have spent over a decade combating dam projects.
We at Global Greengrants Fund are proud to have championed their cause over the years. Since 2006, we have provided ongoing support to the anti-dam movement in Chile, awarding over 52 grants and $1,225,110 since 2006. Most importantly, we have funded 18 different groups across the region, comprising a larger movement to protect Chile’s rivers.
One major success celebrated by this movement was the scrapping of HidroAysén mega-dam in 2014: a cluster of five dams that would have flooded 15,000 acres of forest in the Aysén region while providing power for the country’s small copper industry.
Today, the Patagonia region and its many breathtaking rivers still face ongoing threats: more hydroelectric projects, the expansion of salmon farming, and mining activities promoted by the government. Our grantees are stepping up in their own unique ways to fight these threats, coalescing with one another in a united front to protect their home.
For example, one grantee created a beautiful print and digital magazine to galvanize the public to confront the threat of hydropower in their community and explore sustainable alternatives. Another grantee hired a legal advisor to educate local communities on how to defend their rights, producing a guide on how individuals can use the legal system to stand up to extractive industries.
Many of our grantees are part of the longstanding “Patagonia Without Dams” campaign, a coalition of more than 80 groups working together to resist hydropower in the area. They coordinate public action and demonstrations, support legal action, and maintain an environmental education center for the communities.
Our grantee Peter Hartmann, who works on this campaign and is the Director of Aisén Filial of the Comité Nacional Pro Defensa de La Fauna y Flora, describes the impact of this movement:
“Chilean Patagonia is one of the last places in the world where all its rivers are still free and alive. Decades ago, in the Aisén Region, we declared ourselves a ‘Life Reserve’, a place where we value our virtues instead of destroy them. This has allowed us to have a critical vision and defend ourselves against the greatest megaprojects of recent Chilean history, which threaten the future of the Cuervo, Baker, Pascua, and Del Salto Rivers. Our Patagonia without Dams campaign involved more than 80 organizations and thousands of people for more than a decade with communicational, political, legal, technical and territorial planning. Our efforts helped to enforce the protection of existing protected areas, as well as declare new national monuments and nature sanctuaries.”
We proudly stand with frontline communities as they work to keep their rivers flowing for generations to come. Join us.
“Fast shutter speed photo of the confluence of the Baker and Nef rivers in Patagonia“, by sergejf, is licensed under CC BY 2.0