Their letter calls on the governments to give priority to green and renewable energy over current national energy policy prioritizing hydropower, coal and natural gas despite their potential social and environmental impacts.
Category: Myanmar
Beyond Myitsone
It would be political suicide of any individual or group in Myanmar to come out in support of Myitsone and other mega hydro projects.
Myanmar’s lifeblood in peril
The Ayeyarwady River, dubbed the lifeblood of Myanmar and home to a threatened species of dolphin, is being suffocated by tonnes of plastic. It has been ranked the ninth most polluted river in the world.
Plastic pollution piles the pressure on Myanmar’s troubled turtles
Helpless newborns must now clamber over washed-up plastic bottle caps, coffee sachets and food packaging on their hazardous journey down the beach to reach the relative safety of the sea.
Police among 18 feared killed in landslide at Myanmar jade mine
The government has ordered all mining activity in Hpakant to cease during Myanmar’s May-October monsoon season, but people in the area say scavengers still scour tailing piles for jade.
Solar power shines in Myanmar
Myanmar’s launch of its first commercial solar plant last month is a step in the right direction for a country that has yet to provide more than half of its citizens with proper access to electricity.
War and business: Kachin’s ‘frontline’ hydropower dam
Despite Myanmar’s dire need for power, a US$250 million hydropower plant on the front lines of the Kachin conflict has been largely idle since the day it opened in 2011.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s Myanmar dam dilemma with China
In 2011, construction work on the Myitsone dam project in Myanmar’s restive Kachin state was halted after large protests. China is now lobbying hard for the work to resume, but local people are still not convinced they will ever see benefits.
Dawei SEZ stands better chance with Japanese participation, officials say
The governments of Myanmar, Japan and Thailand will be meeting over the troubled Dawei special economic zone (SEZ) project that has stalled since 2013 for lack of funding.