As bad as the upheaval is, at least it's relatively clean energy. According to wikipedia, it will reduce coal consumption for 31 million tons a year, cutting 100 million tons of greenhouse gases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam
We were told that when the dam was projected, it would supply 5% of China's electric power and now it is 3%, because of the growth of the Chinese economy. We were also told that they were in the process of building 18 more dams on the river for flood control and electric power.
However, we were not told anything about the environmental impact of the project, the pollution problem created by the dam, nor the impact of the change in river flow rate.
All of these are significant elements in evaluating the project.
Somehow 31 million tons turning into 100 million tons seems a tad unlikely.
Bob
bobunf said - "Somehow 31 million tons turning into 100 million tons seems a tad unlikely."
When a fossil fuel burns, it combines with oxygen from the air to form greenhouse gases. Oxygen molecules actually have a greater mass than carbon molecules. This is how one gallon of gas, that only weighs about 6 pounds, is able to produce 19 pounds of greenhouse gases.