There must be a reason why the Chinese government
has decided to build the largest dam in the world, which will
take over fifteen years to complete, and nearly 18,000 Chinese
working on it daily. They are doing it because of the positive
outcomes the Three Gorges Dam will produce. China started to adapt
to industrialization and western influences far later than other
countries. The country realized they needed something a long time
ago, which will help rebuild its economy and create a stronger
and more powerful China. China's founding father, Sun Yat-sen,
in 1919 first proposed a giant dam across the Yangtze River. Forty
years later Mao Tse-tung dreamed about a "western river's
wall of stone".(3) Finally, in 1994 the Three Gorges Dam
went underway.
There are three main reasons why this dam will benefit China.
The first is the amount of electricity the dam will produce for
China. The dam will produce around 18,000 megawatts from 26 different
generators, which are each four hundred tons. In comparison, this
is equivalent to 18 nuclear power plants or fifty million tons
of coal. This dam is estimated to produce 11% of China's electricity.
This is breakthrough for China and will help drastically. The
power generated is also much cleaner. China is known for having
poor air quality and the emissions of many pollutants. With the
dam, the air will get increasingly cleaner. The power generated
today in China is from the burning of coal and fossil fuels. The
dam will reduce the amount of coal emission by around 1.2 to 1.3
million tons of carbon monoxide and 10 thousand tons of nitrous
oxides. (5) Not only does this benefit the quality of air, but
the health of the Chinese people and the environment. This amazing
technological and industrial breakthrough also gives China recognition
and respect as an industrial and powerful country.
The other main reason for building this dam is to control floods.
China and the Yangtze river is known for devastating floods that
have killed over 300,000 people in the past century. (2) By building
a dam and creating an enormous reservoir, China will be able to
control the amount of water that goes down the Yangtze and thus
preventing floods. Without the dam there is an average of one
flood every ten years. These floods that occur not only kill people,
but they also hurt the economy. Floods destroy businesses and
land, and also hinder ships from traveling down the river for
trade. It is estimated that the dam will be able to reduce the
amount of floods to once every one hundred years, which is remarkable.
(1)
The last reason for building the dam is that it will improve the
standard of living over time for the Chinese. The dam will be
able to regulate the flow of water through the Yangtze River.
By doing this, more ships will be able to travel down the river
with ten thousand ton vessels. (5) Without the dam, trade ships
can not travel through the heart of China due to floods and the
amount of water. The dam will allow ships to go through the heart
of China and to more cities up the river. This will open the door
for many businesses and increase the power generation. Increased
recourses will also open up more opportunities for many people
seeking jobs. This will allow China grow faster and stronger.
It will hopefully bring hope and unity to China and help strengthen
China's economy.
Though the Three Gorges Dam may seem to have many negative effects
on China, the positive effects seem to benefit China the most.
If China wants to become a more powerful and healthier nation,
the Three Gorges Dam is a great start. It will produce more efficient
energy throughout China, prevent floods, which destroy lives and
the economy, and also allow China to become a stronger and more
powerful nation.
http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/hper/MTremeth/TGD.htm
- Gives facts about the benefits the dam provides
-Talks about the negative and positive effects the Dam had on the environment and population
- Talks about how the Three Gorges Dam benefits the environment by cutting down on air pollution
http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/hper/MTremeth/TGD.htm
- Gives facts about the positive and negitive effects that the Three Gorges Dam provides