The Lower Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam have achieved unprecedented economic growth over the last decade. However, this rapid economic expansion has come at a significant social and environmental cost, with growth fueled by increased energy consumption supplied mostly by hydropower and coal.
Resettlement from infrastructure projects in Laos is now the top driver of internal migration; Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake, the world’s largest inland fishery is threatened by upstream dams; and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the country’s “rice bowl” is rapidly dropping in economic productivity. Poorly planned hydropower plants and an excess of new coal power plants threaten natural resource security in the Lower Mekong and are a source of political tension among these countries.
Mekong Basin Connect is a collaborative partnership formed of Stimson, IUCN, and a range of qualified technical partners. We build capacity for government and non-government stakeholders in the Lower Mekong move toward an alternative pathway that protects the Mekong River’s core ecology while also reliably meeting the region’s energy needs to support robust levels of economic development.
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Vietnam can share lessons from its renewable energy expansion and coordinate with neighbors to minimize environmental impacts to the Mekong.
October 7, 2022
The renewable energy transition and other market trends in Thailand open the door to more sustainable electricity trade with Laos
January 18, 2022
Mekong countries must balance rising electricity demand with the clean energy technology transition, environmental impacts of hydropower, and shocks from COVID-19 and drought
September 30, 2021
Deep connections with policymakers and applied research are protecting a river basin – and a way of life – in Southeast Asia
December 12, 2019
April 4, 2018
Copyright The Henry L. Stimson Center