(May 19, 2011) Beijing’s Fengtai District grabbed headlines in April when the ground beneath Shiliuzhuang Lu opened up suddenly and swallowed a passing truck. This isn’t the first time sinkholes have appeared in the capital. In 2007, and again in 2009, sinkholes opened up near Dawang Bridge in the CBD, leaving residents to wonder if the great Fengtai sinkhole of 2011 might not be the last time the capital’s ground drops out from under it.
Beijing Admits to ‘Urgent’ Problems with Three Gorges Dam
(May 19, 2011) In a rare admission of problems associated with one of its signature infrastructure projects, China’s government warned Thursday that all is not well with the Three Gorges Dam.
Severe drought saps Chinese power output
(May 18, 2011) Water depth at Three Gorges Dam stood at 154.8 meters on Tuesday afternoon.
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 acknowledges downside to Three Gorges Dam
(May 18, 2011) The government of China has issued a rare acknowledgment of the issues dogging the country’s massive Three Gorges Dam project. Longtime dam critic and Probe International Fellow Dai Qing calls out the move as a likely “attempt to shirk responsibility”.
Chongqing’s biggest dam to start construction
(May 18, 2011) Chongqing’s biggest hydropower development is set to begin construction after adjustments to a fish conservation area on the Yangtze river were agreed to by the State Council.
Garbage Country
(May 14, 2011) If China has a garbage crisis, and it does, then Three Gorges is likely its biggest dump.
Lawrence Solomon: Fair-trade coffee producers often end up poorer
(May 14, 2011) Coffee is one of our guilty pleasures, and not only because of the calories that can be packed into a double latte. Many of us feel guilty that our pleasure is coming at the expense of the Third World coffee farmer, so much so that we gladly pay more for “fair trade” coffee, which certifies that farmers receive more revenue for their crop.
Detained artist a further blow for China quake parents
(May 12, 2011) Chinese farmer Liu Jiuchuan is perhaps an unlikely supporter of activist and artist Ai Weiwei, whose detention last month on suspicion of economic crimes sparked uproar around the world.
FP Letters to the Editor: We are green, EDC says
(May 12, 2011) Re: “Greening Harper,” Lawrence Solomon, May 7
Five Dams Approved in Chile’s Patagonian Wilderness
(May 11, 2011) A complex multi-dam hydroelectric scheme that conservationists fear will destroy the character of one of Chile’s most important wild regions was approved Monday by the Aysén Environmental Review Commission.
Protests after Chile backs giant dams in Patagonia’s valleys
(May 10, 2011) Activists fear ecological haven will be destroyed but government says project is vital for economic growth
Chileans protest government approval of five Patagonia dams
(May 10, 2011) Dam projects are drawing increased criticism in South America, which boasts three of the world’s four biggest hydroelectric dam complexes. Chile is pushing forward with a $7 billion dam project.
China and the Cascading Geopolitics of Lower Mekong Dams
(May 10, 2011) Much has been written on the downstream impact of China’s dams on the Lancang-Mekong River, which flows through or along the borders of five other countries after exiting China. Most of the discussion relates to the hydrological impact of impounding water in the eight dams along the mainstream Lancang Jiang in Yunnan Province.
Chilean panel OKs huge dam project in Patagonia
(May 10, 2011) A $7 billion project to dam two wild rivers for electricity won environmental approval Monday from a Chilean government commission, despite a groundswell of opposition.
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