Dams built to hold enormous quantities of toxic mining waste have a long history of spills. Decisions in the Pacific Northwest threaten three free-flowing rivers there.
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Articles on Dams
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The ‘New Bradfield’ scheme seeks to revive a nation-building ethos supposedly stifled by bureaucratic inertia. But there are good reasons the scheme never became a reality.
It's imperative that we understand what creates and sustains the delta for the future management of the system.
The real crisis with water supply is that South Africa doesn't know what it doesn't know.
Sea levels are rising, while deltas are being starved of sediment by upstream dams.
A report from The Australia Institute says at least 20 to 30 large private dams have been constructed in the Murray-Darling basin in recent years.
The Australian landscape is very old and the soils in inland areas can be very fragile.
Resettlement plans for large infrastructure projects don't always go according to plan.
Water is crucial to the spread of malaria because mosquitoes breed and lay their eggs in or near bodies of water.
The damage to the dam holding back a reservoir just a mile from the nearest town downriver should focus minds on ensuring civil infrastructure is maintained.
At a time when storms are becoming more frequent and severe, relying on levees for flood control can create as many problems as it solves.
Thousands of hydropower dams are under construction around the world. New research shows that by cutting off sediment flow, these dams can have big ecological effects on far-off bays and deltas.
A barrier just 50km wide might stop water-reliant cane toads in their tracks.
The tailing dam collapse at the Brumadinho mine has shocked the world, but can we really be sure that 'never again' truly means never again?
There are benefits and downsides to damming rivers.
Nearly 1,800 Brazilian dams are at risk of failure, according to the government. Fixing them is expensive – but ignoring aging dams can have considerable social, economic and environmental costs.
Brazil's new president could clear the way for plans to develop remote areas around the Tapajos River basin over the objections of the indigenous people who live there.
In countries like South Africa which has a big and robust mining sector, tailings need to be managed with extra care.
Standing 240m tall, the Statue of Unity celebrates India's development. But jarringly, it towers over a divisive and environmentally damaging dam project.
When a dam comes down this fall, a team of scientists will be there to track the environmental changes.
Top contributors
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Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, James Cook University
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Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
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Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, UNSW
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Emeritus Professor Water Science, Monash University
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Professor, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, UNSW
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Visiting Adjunct Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior Fellow, Centre for Resources, Energy and Environment Law, University of Melbourne
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Principal Researcher, CGIAR System Organization
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Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington
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Professor, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW
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Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland
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Adjunct professor, Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Charles Darwin University
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Principal Research Scientist, University of British Columbia
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Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor of Applied Ecology, University of Canberra
