science

World Commission on Dams

World Commission on Dams is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand World Commission on Dams rather than just read about it. In short: The World Commission on Dams (WCD) existed between April 1997 and 2001, to research the environmental, social and economic impacts of the development of large dams globally. The self-styled WCD consisted of members of civil society, academia, the private sector, professional associations and one government representative, to measure the impacts and effectiveness of large dam development, including the effect on dam…

Key takeaways

World Commission on Dams belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect World Commission on Dams to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of World Commission on Dams from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The World Commission on Dams (WCD) existed between April 1997 and 2001, to research the environmental, social and economic impacts of the development of large dams globally. The self-styled WCD consisted of members of civil society, academia, the private sector, professional associations and one government representative, to measure the impacts and effectiveness of large dam development, including the effect on dam affected communities and project developers. It is an example of multistakeholder governance. The ultimate outcome of the WCD was to issue a final report which was launched under the patronage of Nelson Mandela in November 2000. The WCD recommended ten guidelines for dam building.

References

Further reading Dams and Development: a new framework for decision-making (Final Report, November 2000) UNEP (2001). Evaluation of the joint initiative of the World Commission on Dams and the United Nations Environment Programme on the environmental, social and economic impacts of large dams. https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/8121

External links World Commission on Dams Archived 2015-11-18 at the Library of Congress Web Archives at UNEP World Commission on Dams

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with World Commission on Dams

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what World Commission on Dams claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to World Commission on Dams before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about World Commission on Dams ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of World Commission on Dams

In research: World Commission on Dams appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses World Commission on Dams in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: World Commission on Dams is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dams, International environmental organizations, International human rights organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for World Commission on Dams outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study World Commission on Dams in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what World Commission on Dams means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain World Commission on Dams out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is World Commission on Dams in simple terms?

Why does World Commission on Dams matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study World Commission on Dams?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on World Commission on Dams.