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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life

Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

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Dam lies and statistics

15/12/2018 GMT

Dam Lies and Statistics

BBC World Service - More or Less, Dam Lies and Statistics

Mega-dams have become one of the biggest providers of renewable energy but how sustainable are they? More or Less weighs up the financial, social and environmental costs.

Hydropower now provides 71% of the world’s renewable energy with many countries around the world turning to mega-dam construction to power their economies. But are dams really effective and sustainable as an alternative to fossil fuels? Critics have pointed out a range of issues from cost overruns to environmental damage. More or Less looks at what the data tells us about these impacts and how dams might be used in the future.

Producer/Presenter: Tom Hill

British Pathé audio clip: opening of the Boulder Dam

(image: Hoover Dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, USA. Photo credit Joe Klamar/Getty Images)

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