Description: Viewed by some as symbols of progress and a necessary evil and by others as inherently flawed and destructive of ecosystems and societies, large dams remain the most contentious development issue on earth. Building on the work of the now defunct World Commission on Dams, Thayer Scudder, the world's leading authority on large dams, wades into the debate with unprecedented authority. Armed with a vast array of cases studies and statistical data from Asia, including China and India, North America, Africa and Latin America, Scudder charts the 'middle way' forward by examining all aspects of the costs, benefits and risks to ecosystems, societies and economies of large dam development projects. analyses the structure of the decision making process for water resource and energy development and the planning, implementation and governance of assets when a large dam is selected as the best development option. He also assesses state-of-the-art procedures for addressing environmental, institutional, political and social issues, and tackles the highly contentious issue of dam-induced resettlement, illuminated by a statistical analysis of 50 cases.
Review Quotes: "In The Future of Large Dams [the author] speaks up for the millions of people who are directly affected by large dams and reservoirs, many of whom are 'poor, uneducated, relatively powerless rural residents'. Scudder...writes with great authority, having been one of the 12 commissioners of the World Commission on Dams. This role has given him a remarkable insight into the global politics of large dams and their consequences. His position on large dams has changed from strong support to anger and despair over the poor treatment of people who live near dams. He now believes that most of the really large dams impose unacceptable environmental and social costs...The book's personal tone makes it enjoyable to read, but this is also a scholarly book that has numerous footnotes and references. The story that Scudder tells is rather depressing, but he does try to find a way forwards. In the final chapter, he lists seven sets of recommendations on how to make decisions about the possible construction of large dams in the future...the book is a valuable reminder fo the dangers of destroying sustainable rural societies largely to support unsustainable cities or large industries. Hopefully Scudder's book will help to lessen the damage caused by the building and maintenance of large dams."--Nature