hse Three gorges Dam 三峡大坝对自然环境的影响英文

Abstract

The main objective of this research project was to investigate the impacts of China’s Three Gorges Dam on the surrounding environment. After reading and collecting a range of sources from internet, journal articles and books, I managed to arrange these impacts into different aspects systematically. The benefits of Three Gorges as a renewable energy source were firstly expressed. The negative environmental consequences particularly addressed were the increasing frequency of landslides; the disruption of biodiversity; the large scale of deforestation; the contamination of Yangtze River water source.Conclusion is hence reached that the negative environment impacts of the dam outweighed the positive. The research project acknowledged Chinese Government’s efforts to prevent the adverse environment impacts, discussed the importance of sustainable development. Future fates of the dam were also commented.

Introduction

Fully functioned from 4th July, 2012, Three Gorges Dam in Hubei, China is the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity (Three Gorges Dam, /, 2014). Chinese Government constantly portrays the dam as a symbol of China’s advanced technology and a symbol of China’s rapid development. The positive comments are corroborated by remarkable facts. The total electric generating capacity of the dam is 22500MW (Three Gorges Dam, /,2014); an executive with China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation mentioned that the dam accounts for 14% of China’s total hydro generation in 2012(Three Gorges Project capable of generating 47 bln kwh of power,/, 2005). However, Three Gorges Dam has always been a controversial issue. In fact, the project is seen as an environmental catastrophe by many experts and activists abroad. In this research project, generalization of the environmental benefits of Three Gorges Dam will first be made. The main focus will be the adverse environmental impacts of the dam, namely landslides; disruption to ecosystem; deforestation and Yangtze River water pollution.

Body Paragraphs

There are some undeniable environmental benefits of the Three Gorges Dam. China desperately needs sufficient electric power to meet the demand of growing electricity consumption, so industrialization could be sustained (Three Gorges Project capable of generating 47 bln kwh of power, /, 2005). In China, energy was chiefly achieved through the burning of fossil fuels before the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Various greenhouse gases were produced during the combustion. As a result, China is frequently criticized by global environmentalists for “deteriorating the situation of global warming.” Hydroelectric power is a clean and renewable source of energy to provide electricity. According to Xie Xiufa, a senior engineer of the Three Gorges Bureau under the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee (Wertz, 2007), “Three Gorges Dam is capable of generating 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. Every year, it can reduce 50 million tons of coal consumption, approximately 100 million tons of carbon dioxide, 2 million tons of sulphur dioxides, around 10,000 tons of carbonic oxide and about 370,000 tons of nitrogen oxide.” Hence Three Gorges Dam remarkably contributes to the reduction