POL 32700 Lecture 18: POL 327 - Lec 18
10 Jan 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Week 8.2:
1. What is the World Commission on Dams and why was it created?
a. 12 commissioners. Created in 1998 to review the performance of large dams and
make recommendations regarding future water and energy projects.
2. What are the positives and negatives associated with [big] dams?
a. Positives: Hydroelectric power, more electricity, fishing industry, more water for
human consumption, flood control, more water for irrigation.
b. Negatives: Expensive, Loss of water through evaporation, danger of collapse,
seismic issues, loss of biodiversity
3. Who were some of the stakeholders in debates/controversies over big dams?
a. Civil engineers, Economists, Sociologists, Environmentalists, Climatologists
b. NGOs, World Bank, IUCN, Damn builders, developing countries
c. “Should we build this damn and how high?” vs “among the alternatives how
should we achieve the environmental goals set out by authorities.”
4. Who is on the commission and what did it do?
a. Commissioners came from diverse set of backgrounds from most major fields of
knowledge. Headed by chair (Asmal). Meeting held on continents, wanted to be
fair.
b. Created to reconcile arguments between all stakeholders on the effectiveness of
dam development
5. 2 Commission’s mandates
a. 1: Review developmental effectiveness
i. Dams have big benefits and costs
ii. Greater transparency between integration of social, environmental, and
economic dimensions of development
iii. Comprehensive approach to integration economic, social, and
environmental dimensions and high transparency leads to more successful
dams
