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Tom Picken, from environmental organization Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland (EWNI) told Real World Radio that the Northern countries must take the lead in making urgent and very deep emissions reductions domestically.

In an interview with Real World Radio Picken said the models of development and growth and consumption of the North have far outstripped the Earth’s ability to deal with the waste and the climate crisis to deal with the carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.

In Mexico, the government’s proposal to build El Zapotillo dam in Jalisco state, has sparked the resistance of local communities and there are already over 200 reports filed by social organizations before the State’s Human Rights Commission.

The people’s protests are not taken into account by the authorities, who demand the communities to immediately abandon the lands to build the dam and accuse the local groups of “politicizing” the conflict.

While the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) of Panama confirmed that there are nearly thirty hydroelectric projects in the country, social organizations are increasing their criticism to the advance of this model.

Panamanian activist Lucía Lasso, from the Alliance for Conservation and Development told Real World Radio that the country’s economic growth has led to an extraordinary increase of the energy demand.

As a result of this, the authorities have promoted a series of hydroelectric projects. There are nearly 150 projects currently operating without proper regulations.

Raquel Cruz from Cesta – Friends of the Earth El Salvador told Real World Radio that “it’s them –the corporations- who should find alternatives, because they are getting all the profits”.

The alternative proposed by social organizations is simply “no to dams” since “they can’t put the government’s responsibility on us”.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has not finished “repairing the damages” caused by hydroelectric megaprojects, but he is still promoting the building of new projects considered as a “national priority”.

Natalia Landivar from the Food First Information Action Network (FIAN) talked with Real World Radio within the 4th Meeting of the Latin American Network of People Affected by Dams, held in the city of Lorica, Colombia.

The heavy rains, combined with droughts are the most visible effect of climate change in Costa Rica, Javier Baltodano, member of COECOCEIBA, Friends of the Earth Costa Rica, told Real World Radio.

Baltodano said the the main impact of climate change is that the rain patterns have changed substantially, since there are “heavier rains during the rainy season and more intense droughts during the dry season”.

Asia is a highly populated continent, where many people live near the coastline. For this reason, one of the effects of climate change that sparks great concern is that if the sea level grows, it will damage many people in Asia. Yuri Onodera, member of Friends of the Earth Japan explained this in an interview with Real World Radio.

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects different populations around the world in different ways. In South Africa, for example, there are situations caused by global warming, as in the rest of the African continent.

Siziwe Khanyile, member of environmental organization GroundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa, talked about this.

Here are the words of the activist.

The former Argentine President, Carlos Saul Menem, is not exactly an example to follow in terms of political transparency. In spite of that, the former president did not hesitate to say that Yacyreta binational megadam is a monument of corruption.

In a totally different position, the social organizations that are taking part in the 4th Meeting of the Latin American Network of People Affected by Dams said last night that hydroelectric mega projects have been corrupt.

The Chilean government is turning a deaf ear on social organizations that oppose hydroelectric projects promoted by Spanish corporation Endesa and Colbun in Aysen region, to the south of the country.

This was exposed by the activists that are participating in the 4th Latin American Meeting of People Affected by Dams, in Lorica, Colombia.

The plan of building dams on the Baker and Pascua rivers aims to benefit big corporations – mainly mining corporations – that operated in Chile, but it will not benefit Aysen, according to the Citizen Coalition for Aysen Life Reserve.