2. The Three Gorges Dam
It is a hydroelectric dam that spans the
Yangtze River in China
It is the largest Dam in the world
Construction began in 1994 and the dam
came online on 2008
It is a gravity dam
3. Why the Three Gorges Dam is good:
The electricity production
The dam produces 18,000 megawatts of electricity
This is equivalent to about 18 nuclear power plants
This is about 11% of Chinas electricity demands
4. Why the Three Gorges Dam is good:
Benefits to the Environment
Hydro power is much cleaner then coal to produce
the same amount of power the TGD produces using
coal it would take 50 million tons
The dam has reduced the effects of flood prone
Yangtze River, which usually has a major flood every
10 year, this dam will mitigate that problem
5. Why the Three Gorges Dam is good:
Economic Benefits
The dam has improved the navigability of the
upstream Yangtze River and has increased the
cargo traveling up and down the river opening up
economic benefits
The reservoir behind the dam will create a humid
climate that will be ideal for citrus production
6. Why the Three Gorges Dam is Bad:
Danger to the Environment
Garbage is pilling up behind the dam and the
chemicals leaking from it are harming local water
life
The dam is fostering algae blooms and elevated
levels of phosphate and nitrate which has a
detrimental effect on both human an animal
consumption
7. Why the Three Gorges Dam is Bad:
The Social Impact
The TGD has displaced around 1.5 million people
Possible catastrophic flooding due to the fact that
the TGD was built on a fault line
The TGD has inundated over 1200 archeological
sites accumulating to almost 2 million years in history
8. Why the Three Gorges Dam is Bad:
Economic Cost
The cost of relocating the people by some
estimates will cost just as much as the dam was to
build
Drought caused by the change in weather caused
by the dam could hurt crop growth in the future
