Hydropower - a Faustian bargain

It is the most widely used renewable source of power but carries its own risks

While hydroelectric generation itself emits no greenhouse gases, dams and reservoirs emit significant amounts of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. PHOTO: AFP
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The era of cheap oil and gas is over. Russia's war in Ukraine - or, more specifically, Europe's ambitious effort to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels at a time when international supplies are already tight - is driving up global energy prices and raising the spectre of a global energy crisis. Alternative sources of energy are looking more appealing by the day, as they should.

But the embrace of hydropower, in particular, carries its own risks.

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