A hydroelectric dam in the Brazilian Amazon not only wiped out a megadiverse ecosystem (including 7 endemic species), it emits 10x more greenhouse gases per megawatt than a thermal power plant. When so-called 'green' energy turns out to be the *exact* opposite. news.mongabay.com/2025/02/ende... - ThreadSky

irishrainforest.bsky.social • 20 hours ago

A hydroelectric dam in the Brazilian Amazon not only wiped out a megadiverse ecosystem (including 7 endemic species), it emits 10x more greenhouse gases per megawatt than a thermal power plant.

When so-called 'green' energy turns out to be the *exact* opposite.
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/endemic-fish-wiped-out-in-brazilian-amazon-hydroelectric-dam-area-study-finds/

Comments

kintanaomi.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Like a lot of green and vegan options, they can often cause more harm than the alternative. The point isn’t to save the planet, but to trick the people who care into thinking they are so there won’t be any more complaints.

Greenwashing is a thing, and it’s bad. Buying local is usually the best.

plsdoitbetter.bsky.social•53 minutes ago

I'm gonna bet everything I own that you're not vegan

Wouldn't vegan and local be best?

But ultimately food miles matter less than you'd think: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0262407922010971

hoosierblue.bsky.social•21 minutes ago

This why proper environmental reviews are critical.

forestemergency.bsky.social•18 hours ago

Logging for dams, logging for the COP30 meeting and logging to site wind turbines. It's all looking like just another way for them to make money.

https://www.rainforestreserves.org.au/the-question-of-green-energy

allanclane.bsky.social•24 minutes ago

Fro those wanting info on the greenhouse gas emissions from hydroelectric power, here is an article about it: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240326-how-hydroelectric-dams-are-a-hidden-source-of-carbon-emissions
In essence, methane is dissolved in water like carbonation in a soft drink, and churning the water in a turbine is like shaking the soda, releasing the gas.

bargdaffy.bsky.social•10 hours ago

Yeah but a lot of the GHG emissions Dams release is organic decaying matter that is concentrated in the sediments at the base of the Dam, they would have been released anyway just not from a concentrated area.

tjhenry109.bsky.social•2 hours ago

I am highly skeptical of that 10x GHG statement.

anonym0u5.bsky.social•53 minutes ago

its because they didn't cut down the trees before the reservoir flooded and that vegetation has been decomposing since it became submerged, and is releasing methane/CO2 as it decomposes.

I wonder if the calculation for a coal plant includes emissions to clear forested area and mine for coal.

tjhenry109.bsky.social•49 minutes ago

I understand the decomposition but still do not buy the 10x. I will have to google translate the reference article and see how the author comes to that conclusion.

anonym0u5.bsky.social•46 minutes ago

it could be true, at the end of the day they are oxidation/reduction reactions that release carbon compounds from organic matter. the mass of vegetation flooded in that reservoir could be orders of magnitude more than the coal burned at that plant. plus whatever other inputs there are in the river.

tjhenry109.bsky.social•32 minutes ago

Could be true but highly unlikely. In US, an acre of forested land is estimated to store 221 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year. An average coal plant is US produces 6 million metric tons of CO2 annually. The reservoir would need to be 10,000 acres to get in same order of magnitude.

anonym0u5.bsky.social•27 minutes ago

its massive haha - 58,000 acres. and id expect the amazon forest to have a higher CO2 equivalent than an american one.

marksugrue.com•20 hours ago

In the 60's and 70's early environmental groups campaigned with the slogan "Atoms not Dams" - they lost their way after that. By the late 70's the pre-cursors of Greenpeace were in Ireland campaigning against Carnsore and in support of building Moneypoint coal power station instead.

forzaalex.tifosi.social•11 hours ago

this fucking sucks

junkergg.bsky.social•14 hours ago

SICKENING

ilstementent.bsky.social•6 hours ago

This is because of the huge amount of organic matter deposited at the bottom of the reservoir, which degrades into methane, which has a relatively short but very powerful greenhouse effect. The same happens when rainforests are drained to grow oil palm trees for alternative fuels.

sandnsurf.bsky.social•1 hour ago

That does not make sense. How would a hydroelectric dam emit any greenhouse gas??? Much less more greenhouse gas than a power plant burning fuel??? I went to the website and there is no article.

orcanizer.bsky.social•38 minutes ago

the felled trees that are now underwater are decomposing, trees release carbon and methane when decomposing, that's how the plant is indirectly generating large quantities of those greenhouse gases

robb.doering.ai•20 hours ago

Fascinating, thanks for sharing! I was dubious, but the cause of the emissions is surprising:

> "All Amazonian hydroelectric plants were not fully deforested because it was believed that organic matter would be quickly decomposed. But, 20 years later, there is still a lot of dead vegetation…”

robb.doering.ai•20 hours ago

This is an upfront cost, which to me sounds like something you could estimate the total impact of so as to find a breakeven point? But maybe “1kg CO2/CH4 per Xkg tree biomass” is an equation that doesn’t really exist in a stable, predictive sense…

hnrkhstbch.bsky.social•3 hours ago

That is why we need nuclear power. Or degrowth, but nobody really wants that for their children.

marlene72.bsky.social•1 hour ago

News flash.

jimmyobyrne.bsky.social•15 hours ago

We can add hydro to the biofuel scam, windfarms on peatlands etc. when it comes to destructive Greenwash

richardsoren.bsky.social•10 hours ago

This is simply not true.

instauratur.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Genuine questions, not trying argue:

Which green energy options are truly green?

“Biofuel” is a pretty broad category, isn’t it? You’re saying it’s all a scam?
A scam bc the hyped tech can’t deliver on cost-in/energy-out?
Bc it’s not carbon-neutral?
Gobbled up tax credits fraudulently?

jimmyobyrne.bsky.social•4 minutes ago

Clearly nuclear is way ahead

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