When a river is dammed in the Mekong, a tree falls in Brazil

This seminar, part of the “Water Dialogue” series, featured Dr. Jamie Pittock, Associate Professor in the Fenner School of Environment and Society at The Australian National University (ANU) and UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance.

Can we quantify the trade-offs between energy, water and food?

Hydropower in the Mekong – as in other regions of the world – has proven to be a threat to fisheries further downstream. Nevertheless, this has not slowed the rate of hydropower development.

To compensate for this loss, production of crops and livestock need significant new areas of land and volumes of water for agriculture. Additionally, the livestock production in Mekong is heavily dependent on animal feed imported from other parts of the world, especially Brazil, with all the implications this has for deforestation and agricultural development in that region.

In order to prevent perverse impacts on people and the environment from industry-specific decisions, decision making needs to be improved across sectors and among nations.

This was the second seminar in the Water Dialogues series, co-hosted by the International Centre for Water Cooperation (ICWC) and SIWI Swedish Water House.

Venue: SIWI office Conference room Ocean
Venue address: Linnégatan 87A, 5th floor, Stockholm

Programme

Welcome and introduction
Nicolai Schaaf, SIWI Swedish Water House
Dr. Marian Neal (Patrick), International Centre for Water Cooperation at SIWI

Presentation – When a river is dammed in the Mekong, a tree falls in Brazil
Dr. Jamie Pittock, Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU, Australia

Discussion
Led by Marian Neal and Nicolai Schaaf

Finger Lunch

Organizer

• International Centre for Water Cooperation.
• Co-convenor: Swedish Water House

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