(August 16, 2011) Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, has called for a reassessment of Burma’s massive 6,000 MW Irrawaddy Myitsone dam project.
China’s admission spotlights Three Gorges woes
(June 29, 2011) The recent drought and the government’s mea culpa have refocused attention on problems at China’s controversial Three Gorges Dam. “The dam is becoming a symbol of all that is wrong with political decision-making in China,” says Patricia Adams of Probe International.
Chinese study reveals Three Gorges Dam triggered 3,000 earthquakes, numerous landslides
(June 1, 2011) A study by seismologists at the China Seismological Bureau indicates that the massive Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River caused a “significant” increase in seismic activity along the dam’s reservoir.
Drought? Earthquake? Blame the Three-Gorges Dam: World View
(May 27, 2011) When China’s State Council announced there were “urgent problems” with the Three Gorges Dam, Chinese voices – both powerful and common – started to question its role in seemingly unrelated natural disasters, reports Bloomberg.com. In one both dramatic and comical example of a trend towards airing negative views, the popular, nationalist Global Times quoted dam expert, Zhang Boting, who offered this unreassuring gem: “After the construction of the project, there were thousands of minor earthquakes, which actually helped release built-up seismic energy in that area and reduced the possibility of big earthquakes happening in the future.”
The Three Gorges Dam’s new normal: failure
(May 18, 2011) China’s drought has caused the Three Gorges reservoir level to drop precipitously, crippling the mighty Three Gorges Dam. Shipping on the Yangtze River has now halted, power generation has been compromised, and geological hazards are heightened.
China to uproot 240,000 from disaster-prone areas
(May 7, 2011) Authorities plan to move nearly a quarter of a million people this year from disaster-prone areas in northern China into newly-built homes, state media reported Saturday.
Dai Qing: On The Completion of the Three Gorges Project
(April 7, 2011) Dai Qing, Chinese investigative journalist and Probe International Fellow, delivered the following speech about the Three Gorges Dam project in November 2010 while on a speaking tour in British Columbia, Canada. In her address, she reports that the problems predicted by dam critics published in her books, “Yangtze! Yangtze!” and “The River Dragon Has Come!,” are now coming true.
Dams are worse
While many believe that nuclear is the most dangerous source of electricity, the designation actually belongs to major hydroelectric dams.
Chinese geologists warn of dam building on Nu River’s faultlines
(March 24, 2011) China Dialogue recently ran this article arguing that damming the Nu could have earth shattering consequences.
Environment officials claim hydroelectric power is dirtier than thermal power, not a clean solution at all
(January 27, 2011) China’s ministry in charge of environmental protection says hydropower can be dirtier than coal power. Chinese Hydroelectric Engineering Association accuses them of slander.
Expect geological trouble at Three Gorges: report
(January 24, 2011) A new report from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) says the Three Gorges valley is prone to geological hazards such as tsunami-causing landslides and reservoir-induced earthquakes, which are most likely to occur within 3-5 years after the reservoir reaches its maximum height.
China to usher in a “golden decade” for hydro power sector
(January 19, 2011) As China rushes to meet lofty goals to cut carbon emissions, officials say the country’s hydropower sector will experience a “golden decade.”
China counts £130bn cost of economic growth
(December 28, 2010) The Guardian’s Jonathan Watts writes that the cost of pollution, deteriorating soil and other impacts cost China 1.3 trillion yuan, or 3.9% of the country’s GDP, in 2008.
Chinese Academy of Engineering says Three Gorges project’s feasibility study was “completely correct”
(December 20, 2010) On December 17, 2010, the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) issued an assessment of the Three Gorges project’s feasibility study and affirmed that the plan and conclusions of the study are correct.
Whispering a dirty secret: Chinese officials set to speed up construction of dams
(December 16, 2010) China is once again giving the green light to contentious hydro-electric projects.
Patricia Adams
Brady Yauch
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
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