GCRF: DAMS 2.0: Design and assessment of resilient and sustainable interventions in water-energy-food-environment Mega-Systems

The world is moving into an unprecedented era of dam-building with more than 3,700 large dams currently planned or under construction. These projects have the potential to contribute significantly to the economic and social changes that underpin global Sustainable Development Goals. However, past experiences show that poorly designed and planned dam projects conversely may have large negative impacts on the poor, and exacerbate political instability and environmental degradation.

This proposal seeks to create the knowledge base, capacity and capability for a better future, in which dams built in DAC list countries are selected, designed and operated to support resilient and sustainable national, regional and global development in a 2.0 degrees Celsius world. This will be achieved by understanding and assessing dams as interdependent human-nexus (water-energy-food-environment) system interventions and enabling stakeholders to negotiate economic, social, political and ecological impacts despite future uncertainty.