Monday, March 28, 2005

Canada's Wild Rivers

I get very upset when I read about new dams being constructed on Canada's wild rivers. Once you build a dam it's forever. One by one the great wild rivers of the north are being destroyed for a few hydroelectric power plants. Why can't we make do with less? Why can't we conserve energy. Whatever happened to conservation?

This account by the NRDC of pristine rivers in Manitoba is disturbing.

I read another article recently about a river in Quebec about to be dammed. I can't find the magazine right now, but Robert F. Kennedy, Jr made a special trip to this special river to highlight its importance. Unfortunately the local populace is in favor of the dam in the shortsighted "profits" of $100/person that they hope to realize. If the river was allowed to remain free the tourism could easily swamp those returns.

No comments: