After seeing the Three Gorges Dam documentary, I felt the need to express my opinion on the project. The dam that is currently being built in China's Three Gorges Region is causing much controversy. Some feel that the dam should be built, and yet others feel that it shouldn't. I think that the dam should be built.
First of all, The Three Gorges Dam will provide hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity is a clean and renewable power source. It doesn't pollute the environment, and it can be produced over and over again. "Three Gorges Project will generate 85 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year. This can be translated into 25 million tons of crude oil, 15 nuclear power plants, or 50 million tons of coal equivalent," says Chien-Kuo Lo, PhD. That is certainly a tremendous amount of natural resources that will be conserved. The documentary states that, "The project promises significant power generation."
English: Yangtze River flow rate at TGD site
Map of the location of the Three Gorges Dam, Sando...
English: The on the Yangtze River, China.A hydroelectric dam this big will produce a lot of energy. Having a lot of electricity will make the electricity cheaper for consumers. The dam will help prevent heavy depletion of non-renewable resources like oil, and will reduce pollution.
In addition, when the Yangtze River floods, the repercussions are disastrous. The material states, "In 1998 flooding in the area...resulted in 4,000 dead, 14 million left homeless, and $24 billion in economic loss." The dam will cost over $30 million. That is about how much money the government spends on 2 years of flooding. They might as well use the money to prevent further flooding. However, the issue here isn't money; it's people's lives. The dam will prevent further flooding and in the process save peoples lives and homes. According to the documentary, "In the past 2,000 years, the Yangtze River experienced 215 catastrophic floods." Millions lose their homes...