China's Three Gorges Dam: An Environmental Catastrophe?

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The Chinese government has shifted its stance on the Three Gorges Dam, acknowledging for the first time that it may be causing significant environmental issues, including landslides and ecosystem alterations. This marks a departure from decades of denial regarding the dam's potential dangers. Officials now recognize that these environmental problems could threaten the safety of millions living near the dam. The discussion highlights the long-standing concerns raised by scientists and environmentalists about the dam's impact on the surrounding environment and communities.
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SHANGHAI—For over three decades, the Chinese government has dismissed warnings from scientists and environmentalists that its Three Gorges Dam—the world's largest—had the potential of becoming one of China's biggest environmental nightmares. But last fall, denial suddenly gave way to reluctant acceptance that the naysayers were right. Chinese officials staged a sudden about-face, acknowledging for the first time that the massive hydroelectric dam, sandwiched between breathtaking cliffs on the Yangtze River in central China, may be triggering landslides, altering entire ecosystems and causing other serious environmental problems—and, by extension, endangering the millions who live in its shadow. [continued]
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster
 
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