Civil Society Statement: Climate Bonds Initiative must abandon its misguided attempt to greenwash hydropower

The document argues that the Climate Bonds Initiative's (CBI) proposed hydropower criteria are insufficient and risk channeling climate finance toward projects that harm biodiversity and human rights. It specifically criticizes CBI's reliance on the International Hydropower Association (IHA) for assessment tools, claiming this creates a conflict of interest and underestimates greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane from tropical reservoirs.

• The proposed hydropower criteria from the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) are viewed as inadequate and potentially harmful to rivers, freshwater species, and dependent communities.
• There is a risk that these criteria will allow dam operators and investors to use 'Paris-friendly branding' to attract funding without making a meaningful contribution to the climate crisis or preventing a 2°C scenario.
• The CBI is criticized for aligning with the International Hydropower Association (IHA), an industry body, and adopting its environmental, social, and governance assessment tool, which the signatories describe as a conflict of interest.
• The document asserts that hydropower reservoirs, especially in the tropics, emit significant amounts of methane, and that the CBI's proposed use of the IHA's emissions tool systematically underestimates these greenhouse gas emissions.
• The signatories suggest that climate financing should instead be directed toward protecting freshwater resources, restoring fragmented ecosystems, and decommissioning obsolete dams.

APA

rrotadmin (2019). Civil Society Statement: Climate Bonds Initiative must abandon its misguided attempt to greenwash hydropower. Recourse. https://re-course.org/newsupdates/civil-society-statement-climate-bonds-initiative-must-abandon-its-misguided-attempt-to-greenwash-hydropower/

Chicago

rrotadmin. Civil Society Statement: Climate Bonds Initiative must abandon its misguided attempt to greenwash hydropower. Recourse, 2019. https://re-course.org/newsupdates/civil-society-statement-climate-bonds-initiative-must-abandon-its-misguided-attempt-to-greenwash-hydropower/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=rrotadmin |title=Civil Society Statement: Climate Bonds Initiative must abandon its misguided attempt to greenwash hydropower |publisher=Recourse |date=12 December 2019 |url=https://re-course.org/newsupdates/civil-society-statement-climate-bonds-initiative-must-abandon-its-misguided-attempt-to-greenwash-hydropower/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{rrotadmin2019civil, author = {rrotadmin}, title = {{Civil Society Statement: Climate Bonds Initiative must abandon its misguided attempt to greenwash hydropower}}, publisher = {Recourse}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://re-course.org/newsupdates/civil-society-statement-climate-bonds-initiative-must-abandon-its-misguided-attempt-to-greenwash-hydropower/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }