Weighing the Pros and Cons: Transformation of Angle of View for Three Gorges Dam

Abstract

Three Gorges Dam Project is the world’s largest water-control and hydraulic-electric project in the 21st century. However, it has been shrouded in controversy since long even before it began construction in 1994. On one hand, the benefits of the Three Gorges Dam are flood control, power generation, navigation, aquaculture, tourism, ecological protection, environmental purification, development-oriented resettlement, transfer of water from southern China to northern China, and water supply and irrigation. On the other hand, the drawbacks of the dam are environmental impact, effect on local culture and aesthetic values, and sedimentation. In an environmental impact point of view, the Three Gorges Dam shows evidence that it has more advantages than disadvantages. Thus, by carefully balancing the pros and cons, one can say that the Three Gorges Dam is an environmentally feasible project.