Population, water, food, energy and dams

Should the construction of large dams continue? This question has raised an enormous amount of controversy in recent years, in terms of both socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. This paper addresses this question through a study of some key global socio-economic data (population and water, food, and energy consumption) and the vital role of large dams in sustaining societies. The analysis indicates that construction of large dams has essentially been the result of population growth and the associated consequence of increased consumption of water, food and energy. With population projections indicating continued growth in the future (especially in the developing and least developed countries), dam construction should be considered in order to meet future water demands, and it is time that human beings think more about how to better construct, operate and maintain dams and reduce their negative impacts.