I was very excited to travel down the Yangtze River to the Three Gorges Dam. I had heard about the costs and benefits of this tremendous environmental project, and I was anxious to witness it first hand.
The dam spans 1.2 miles in width and 600 feet in height, and was one of the largest and most expensive engineering projects in the world. The dam’s 32 generators produce enough clean energy to reduce China’s reliance on coal, and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is a huge benefit, as anybody who has been to China would tell you that the smog there is harmful to breath.
The downsides to the project are that 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,352 villages were submerged and 1.2 million people had to be relocated as a result of the flooding. It also negatively impacted the biodiversity of the Yangtze and prevented soil deposits from flowing downstream, thus increasing the possibility of flooding.
We had the privilege of meeting locals that had been displaced by this project. It was incredible to speak with them about their experiences. No matter how one views the dam project, the tenacity and graciousness of the local villagers and farmers was nothing less than amazing.
Environmental Science and Its Application to Health 