The Ecological Citizen
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Long article
Future rivers, dams and ecocentrism
The Ecological Citizen Vol 2 No 2 2019: 173–7
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Access PDF of articleFirst published: 1 January 2019 | Permanent URL | Download citation in RIS format
Abstract
In this article the authors look at the subject of ecocentrism and future rivers, focusing mainly on the effects of hydroelectric production. Although rivers also have been dammed for irrigation and flood control in addition to hydroelectricity, the production of 'carbon-free' energy has recently been touted as a major solution to climate change. The trade-off between clean energy and the negative impacts of hydropower offers much food for thought for ecocentric theory – how much biodiversity loss are we justified in allowing now, for example, to avert complete ecosystem collapse in the future if we continue to rely on fossil fuel? The authors intend this article to be a starting point for discussion of rivers and ecocentrism in general, and they conclude with some specific suggestions regarding rivers and hydropower.
Keywords
Biodiversity, Conservation, Sustainability, Water