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Language
English (en)
Date of Award
5-1-2006
Author's Department
International and Area Studies
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Restricted
Abstract
The development of the Three Gorges Dam in China has attracted much attention from all over the world. The $24 billion dam will not only be the largest dam in history, but it will be the most expensive single construction undertaking in the modern era. The Chinese government is shouting to the world loud and clear what they are capable of accomplishing. Of utmost significance, the dam will provide an abundance of hydroelectric power, one of the cleanest forms of energy, to a country with over one billion people striving to become industrialized. 2 It will also aid in flood control and augment existing shipping and commerce transactions. Chinese President Jiang Zemin announced that the Three Gorges will mark a great moment in China's history; it is expected to modernize and completely revolutionize the abilities of the Chinese people. As would any massive project, the Three Gorges Dam has caused an eruption of controversial and highly debatable issues. Some people see the construction of the largest dam in the world as a triumph of human ingenuity and determination; others see it as theflexing of an aggrandized human ego and political showmanship. 3 Human rights advocates, environmentalists, and villagers affected by the construction of the dam are adamantly against the project, saying that the construction will be a disaster. They estimate the dam will displace as many as 1.9 million people. 4 In addition, many valuable historical sites will be lost, as the reservoir will encompass a vast amount of land surrounding the Yangtze River. Impacts on the envir01m1ent range from the destruction of arable land, extinction of animal species and habitats, and disturbances within the natural ecosystem. Sediment will be eroded and downstream water will be cold and deoxygenated, thereby killing much of the aquatic fauna essential for the survival of many species. 5 In addition, some scientists believe that hydroelectric power is actually not clean energy after all and could be contributing to global warming through the release of carbon dioxide and methane from decaying plants in the newly flooded reservoir. Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Is this modernization or eminent domain stretched to its limits as millions are displaced from culturally historic villages? This could be a zero-sum game of nearly Biblical proportions.
Recommended Citation
So, Lapde, "Three Gorges Dam: A Menacing Marvel" (2006). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 120.
https://repository.library.washu.edu/undergrad_etd/120