Major_Effects_of_the_Three_Gorges_Dam_on_the_Local_Ecology,_the_Region's_Social_Level_and_the_Nation's_Energy_Supply

Abstract The Three Gorges Dam was criticized far before its construction even started in 1993. Its foreseeable impacts were the basis for national as well as international discussions and protests. This paper will evaluate the dam’s influence on the local ecology, the regional social level and the nation’s energy supply. By examining these in detail, it is shown that negative effects on the local and regional level occur, such as decreased water quality, loss of species and lack of compensation. Positive effects, however, are achieved on the national level with the dam helping solve the nation’s energy crunch. These results provide a better understanding of the project’s controversies, and give general information of the major effects on the local, regional and national level. Three Gorges Dam Yangtze River Siberian Crane Introduction The Yangtze River of Central China is one of the world’s greatest rivers. Since it is the longest river in Asia, the Yangtze is ranked third in the world with a total length of 6,300 km. Rising in the south-western part of the region Qinghai, the river flows east and forms a natural boundary between what is traditionally considered northern and southern China (Microsoft Encarta Enzyklopädie, 2003). Eventually the river enters the Pacific Sea 23km north of China’s industrial centre Shanghai. With its vast catchment area, the Yangtze has enormous economic importance in China. According to Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopaedia (2007), “it provides irrigation water for agriculture, a source of hydroelectric power, a waterway for cargo vessels[…], and a great transportation network through the heart of some of the most densely populated and economically important areas in China” (para. 2). Some of Central China’s important business centres, like Wuhan and Chongqing, are located beside the river. Many dams and hydropower plants were constructed along the river to improve waterway navigation, implement power generation for the region and regulate the river’s flow with its massive and destructive power. The latest project is the construction of the colossal Three Gorges Dam near the city of Yichang. The construction started in 1993 and is scheduled to be completed in 2009 – it is the largest engineering project in the world. When completed, the dam will be around 185m high and around 2,0km wide. Behind the dam the Yangtze forms the Three Gorges Reservoir, which spreads to a length of approximately 660km and covers an area of 632 sq km (BBC, 2007). Once implemented with great enthusiasm, Encarta Online Encyclopaedia (2007) states that “the project has proved to be highly controversial both within China and internationally” (para. 2). The construction affects two cities and hundreds of small towns located next to the river, as well as the ecological environment. So the construction of the Three Gorges Dam has had and will have major effects on the local ecology, the region’s social level and finally on the nation’s energy supply. Discussion Local ecology is heavily affected by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam and this can be broken down into two major issues: degrading water quality and the loss of species. The water quality of the Yangtze's tributaries has deteriorated since water is piling up in the reservoir; Algae blooms occur much more since that time, which is an indicator for bad water conditions. As a result of the dammed river, the water flow is strikingly reduced at the tributaries. Consequently, standing water bodies occur more often (Yang, 2007). Especially with middle sized cities being located next to the river, polluted waters will not be dispersed due to a lack of steady water flow. This in turn reduces the amount of fish (Hui, 1998). However not just fish in general are affected – even entire species, like the Siberian Crane, are endangered or threatened with extinction (Simons, 2005). The cranes eat aquatic weeds that grow on the bottom of the river, but as the water becomes deeper in the Three Gorges area, the cranes may no longer be able to feed on the weeds (Theuerkauf, 2007). As we see, changes in the fragile ecological system have quick and partly unforeseeable negative impacts on the water condition and feeding grounds for water birds. Having discussed two of the major local ecological problems, we now turn to a regional social issue. The region’s social level is negatively influenced by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, as people have to be relocated due to the newly formed reservoir. In fact, it should not be the case since the government in Beijing promised compensation to all the people, who had to be relocated – 13 cities and 1351 villages have been submerged and millions of citizens had to make way for the reservoir(Boning, 1998). However, the millions of tax money disappeared after it was sent to the local government (which is considered to be corrupt) and residents were denied compensation. Some of the residents complained heavily and protested against this unfair treatment – they were eventually partly silenced by regional authorities (Sueddeutsche, 2007). However money is not the only problem: With the reservoir, building land is becoming very scarce and is often only available in the highlands of the resident’s old environment; millions have to move to the sprawling city of Chongqing at the reservoir's west end. Thousands of those relocated cannot afford any new homes due to a lack of money or lack of land (BBC, 2007). Another negative compensation experience was revealed, when around eight hundred people were moved to Jiangsu province in eastern China last year. According to National Geographic (2008) “they discovered that most of what they were promised – such as free schooling for their children, welfare for the elderly – were lies” (para. 8). As we can see, the social level is already and will further be declined by deficient compensation. Therefore, the social structure is affected harmfully. Having discussed the region’s problematic, we take the final step and head for the national stage. The Three Gorges Dam affects the nation’s energy supply in a positive way. Completed in 2009, it will be the world’s biggest hydropower plant and is expected to create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants – China is very proud to have the biggest engineering project of the world. Keeping in mind that this power is produced from renewable energy, it is a very good alternative to the coal-fired power plants that pollute the air and belch out greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to global warming. Based on those facts, the dam will help to contribute to China’s ambitious target for 2010: 15 percent of the national energy should come from renewable energy, compared with 7,5 percent today (Yandley, 2007). However, with China’s insatiable appetite for energy, they will need much more renewable energy sources to satisfy the demand. According to the Yardley (2007) “just last year, China added 102 gigawatts of generating capacity, as much as the entire capacity of France” (para. 10). Since the Three Gorges Dam is located at a geographical advantageous position, the generated green electricity will be distributed to big parts of Central and Eastern China; nine regions and two cities will be partly covered with the power, including the China’s industrial centre Shanghai (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopaedia, 2007). With the Three Gorges Dam, less coal plants and nuclear power stations have to be built. Consequently, the dam will help China to satisfy the demand for more energy in a green and less air polluting way. Conclusion The previously described effects are massive on the local, the regional and the national level. As already stated in the introduction, exactly those effects are parts of the controversies going on nationally as well as internationally. It is for sure that the Three Gorges Dam alters the local ecology and has negative impacts on the water quality – especially in the tributaries of the Yangtze. Additionally, entire species are threatened with extinction due to changes in landscape. In fact, it really becomes obvious how badly the ecology is affected by human intervention. The social level has also been influenced by this huge project; mainly the citizens, who had to make way for the massive reservoir, suffered from denied compensation and their home towns being flooded step by step. Listing all these negative aspects, one can ask: Why has the Three Gorges Dam been built at all' The electricity generated by the world’s biggest hydropower plant – the Three Gorges Dam – is enough to support several regions and two big cities with power. Hence, the dam contributes to cover China’s insatiable demand for energy and is even “environment friendly”. However, it is questionable whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantageous. The New York Times described it like the following: “It’s really kind of a no-win situation” (Yardley, 2007). Focusing on the local and regional level, the residents as well as the ecology are certainly disadvantaged; the local ecology will never recover from this human intervention. From a national point of few, however, the dam has a positive effect: on the one hand it helps solve the energy problem and on the other hand, China can vaunt themselves with the world’s biggest engineering project. References BBC. (2007, Oct 12). Millions forced out by China dam. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7042660.stm Boning, L. (Ed.). (1998). The river dragon has come. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe Chao, J. (2001, May 15). Relocation for giant dam inflames Chinese peasants. National Geographic. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0515_threegorges_2.html Hui, J. (Ed.). (1998). The river dragon has come. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe Kennedy, B. (n.a.). China's Three Gorges Dam. 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