Every year, the United Nations celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on the 9th of August. This is not only an opportunity to take stock of the many challenges that development poses to indigenous people, but also of the ways that indigenous peoples themselves are challenging traditional development practices and promoting their own approaches. The … [Read more...] about How to reach the middle ground between indigenous worldviews and development practice
Environmental and Social Safeguards
The benefits of drilling inland as if it were offshore
The Amazon Basin is becoming a hot spot for oil and gas exploration. New developments are mostly found in the Amazon Headwaters, extending in an arc from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, western Brazil, and Bolivia. These discoveries bring great promise for economic development. Yet they also pose grave threats to indigenous forest dwellers and to the incomparable … [Read more...] about The benefits of drilling inland as if it were offshore
To Hell With Citizen Consultations
Three years ago, three colleagues and I were semi-kidnapped by a crowd of irate citizens. During half an hour, they surrounded our vehicle and held us hostage until their demands were heard. Although this was not the first occasion where I found myself in the middle of such a disturbance, it was the first in which we were the focus of the social conflict. This was ironic, … [Read more...] about To Hell With Citizen Consultations
3 Ways we can do hydropower better
In 2013, hydropower supplied three-quarters of all renewable electricity and nearly one-sixth of the world’s electricity. According to the World Energy Council[1], the total installed global hydropower capacity has grown by 27% since 2004. Because more than half of the hydropower capacity newly commissioned in 2014 is in China, it is no coincidence that the 5th World … [Read more...] about 3 Ways we can do hydropower better
Learning to Listen/ Listening to Learn in Nicaragua
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to carry out a study to understand rural communities in Nicaragua as part of a team of social science and medical researchers. The topic of our study was childbirth – how do men and women decide whether to give birth in a hospital, a clinic, or at home? We made the journey in an ambulance from the hospital in the closest city to a town … [Read more...] about Learning to Listen/ Listening to Learn in Nicaragua