Publication

This text analyzes the dynamics of the proposed construction of hydropower dams on the mainstream of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. Economic and energy interests are being pitted against the dependence of millions of people on the existing 'environmental services' of the river for their livelihoods. Plans for the construction of dams on the Lao, Lao-Thai, and Cambodian stretches of the river have encountered obstacles that have surprised opponents and proponents of the projects. The Mekong, which recently was viewed as on the edge of an ecological tipping point, could now be at a turning point toward a fuller and more careful consideration of the risks and uncertainties of mainstream dam construction within a regional framework.