I personally couldn’t see how an environmental check could make it through if the building of the dam, would completely eradicate one of the eight great apes on earth. However between the environmental challenges, the current ongoing pandemic and problems financing the project with many of the large world banks not keen to be associated with the dam that would eradicate a great they have decided to (probably) delay the project by up to 3 years.
Organisations such as the world Bank have refused to have anything to do with a project this environmentally damaging. As with many tropical rainforests,this time would take decades or even centuries before the amount of Carbon it had saved would make up for the amount of Carbon it’s creation with release.given that global warming is a problem now not to centuries in the future this is not going to help us fight it. Furthermore all as well as devastating a large area of tropical rainforest it does not supply any local jobs or other benefits apart from the energy.
The IUCN (international union for conservation of nature) has put out a report to debunk the many false claims made by by the group wanting to build the dam.in particular their report downplays the impact on local wildlife and the orangutans. This is a bizarre move as it’s thought it would remove as much as 90% of this rare species of orangutan habitat.
The range of false claims run through environmental one suggesting that it won’t damage the orangutan as much similar assertions over the other local,a suggestion that would in some way not damage the local population despite the fact that many people would have to move and a huge exaggeration on the amount of electricity that is wanted in the local area.
It also suggests that the dam would conform to the international standards on investments which is clearly not true given how many banks have refused to have anything to do with it.
There is some contention that not all of what was said by the IUCN was accurate, but a delay with the be ascertained and to make sure that the best possible outcome is available. At least for the next 3 years orangutan of Tapunuli are safe.
