Yet another example of the security implications of hydroelectricity headlined the news today: "Attack by insurgents at Russian plant owned by RusHydro, the world's second largest hydroelectric power producer, leaves two dead and two injured."

Stories like this, which highlight the vulnerability of dam infrastructure to attack, are particularly jarring for countries that are dependent on hydropower as a major part of its energy matrix (see Canada, Chile, and Norway.)

Great question. I don't necessarily think that hydro facilities are more vulnerable than their non-renewable counterparts. I do, however, think that many factors need to be taken into account before we invest heavily into more hydroelectric infrastructure in the U.S. and elsewhere. We must remember geographic, historical, cultural, and resource constraints before pushing for hydro as the next renewable energy answer. Although hydro should undoubtedly be a part of our future energy mix, we need to acknowledge possible backlashes before going forward.

Kayly you bring some good points to the table. A large problem with the shared facilities is the manning/operation of the dams themselves. With two friendly countries this could be an easy agreement, but involving two hostile countries, India/Pakistan for instance, the issue gets far more complicated. If a conflict broke out and India had control over Pakistan's water supply it would be devastating for the Pakistani population. But that point itself is why I think that further work needs to be done on this. If we could prevent such a tragedy that would be a major victory. And if like the post says, the two nations could rally around cooperation for this project it could provide for eased tensions and possibly even an end to the conflict. Although, very easy to say, much much harder to do.

International Rivers released a special issue on rivers, water, and climate in September, which specifically focused on "risks associated with building dams at a time when we can't predict either high or low flows." Of particular interest to readers may be the article "Tensions run high in Brazil as Amazon Indians take over a dam site after their ancestral graveyard is dynamited for the project."

Good thoughts, David. It is true that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat once famously said that "the only matter that could take Egypt to war again is water." However, past experience has shown us that cooperation rather than conflict has been the story of the Nile and its riparian states.

Patricia Kameri-Mbote, of Strathmore University, Kenya, noted in a recent Navigating for Peace brief "Water, Conflict, and Cooperation: Lessons from the Nile River Basin" that although the potential for cooperation is high, a few key steps should be taken in order to maintain peace. Namely, the engagement of non-state actors (such as farmers, fishers, women’s groups, and community based organizations) to find cooperative solutions to potential water conflicts; the development of the capacity of civil society groups to ensure meaningful contributions to basin-wide initiatives; and the coordination of efforts of bilateral and multilateral funding institutions operating in the basin in order to realize synergies and engender cooperation over water.

Thanks, David. The U.S. and Canada have a storied history of good relations, not just in regards to water resources, but also economically and politically. This is more rule rather than exception, especially when it comes to neighboring countries with similar cultures and values and good governance and infrastructure.

Unfortunately, many of the "shatterbelt regions" like South/Southwest Asia are rife with underlying tensions that make good neighbor relations more complicated. Take India and Pakistan, for example. They have always struggled with border disputes, unevenly shared water resources, and clashing ideologies. It's hard to imagine joint water resource management as a quick fix, especially as tensions continue to simmer over the Indus river basin.

However, in other conflict zones traditionally thought of as lost causes, there are more innovative approaches that seek to build peace through cooperation. Friends of the Earth Middle East have proven that even in the most contentious of regions, Israel and Palestine, the environment can be used as peacemaker. Hopefully, this model can be applied to other regions.