Vízügyi Közlemények, 2002 (84. évfolyam)

1. füzet - Kozák Miklós: A vízerő-hasznosítás és a lefolyás-szabályozás, mint a fenntartható fejlődés alapjai

118 Kozák Miklós The main reason is the fossil-fuel based power generation. This power generation cannot assure sustainable development on the long term. The second reason is that on global scale no long term, prognostic-type, planning of hydropower generation is made. In addition to good-willing environmentalist efforts there are, at global scale, groups of non-professionals, which are against the regulation of rivers and against the utilisation of hydropower. They frequently use "independent" experts in order to justify their misbelieves. These "independent experts" are usually free of scientific knowledge and professional expertise. The most efficient means of protecting nature and the environment is, undoubtedly, the use of renewable energy resources and within this the rapid acceleration of the utilisation of hydropower. Representatives of the aforementioned misbelieves are not sensitive to the intolerable global disproportions of the use of water and energy resources, and the poverty and backwardness resulting from them; The key action in the elimination of poverty in the world is the more rational use of water and energy resources. The most efficient means of these is water storage and multiple water uses. These means do not have any alternative. Therefore one cannot avoid the building of water reservoirs as the world needs more and more of them. It would be very unwise to give up hydropower utilisation, which yields at the present 20% of the total power production of the Earth; Freshwater resources are diminishing and demands are increasing. The solution is water storage and sparing water usage. Vital resource elements (water, oil, natural gas, minerals, etc.) can only play their role if one makes them utilisable. Therefore water must be retained, stored. Water originates from the catchment as a whole, but reservoirs can be constructed at special sites only. This must not mean, however, that reservoirs can only be constructed with the permission of those who live there. The multi-purpose utilisation of water re sources is the interest of all the countries sharing an international river basin. This national or international interest must have priority over local interests. Nevertheless, compensation of all damages done to local people with such construction must be secured for their life time. The benefit of such investment must be shared by the nation as a whole (or all nations involved). Scientific world organisations (ICOLD, ICID,IHA, IEA) have all rejected the report of the WCD GR, as a childish concept falling apart from real life. It unjustly prioritise selfish interests, does not consider long term impacts and reflects non-professional views. The new concept of IEA, which considers all aspects of constructing dams and protecting the environment, is fully acceptable. One frequently blames hydropower stations that they are not competitive against caloric power stations. The two power generation system cannot be compared. In contrast to hydropower schemes, which only utilise natural processes, the fossil fuelled (caloric) power generation continuously damages, exhausts, the diminishing resources and is responsible for the pollution of the atmosphere. Their impact on the mineral resources of the Earth cannot be compared. Sustainable development (if there is one) can only be achieved by renewable energy resources. The total renewable power resources of the Earth can in principle secure the meeting of the world's energy demand on the long run. The counter reasoning is that this solution is very expensive. The solution is to put a tax on the use of fossil fuel resources and to develop (over longer period of time) the renewable resource-based power generation. This, unfortunately, could only be made upon achieving a world consensus on this matter. Sustainable development could be highly facilitated by a full review of the production-consumption systems of the world's societies, followed by appropriate