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Introduction:

Background information of the Three Gorges Dam

Thesis:

Agree to large extent that building the Three Gorges Dam is a good idea as the benefits outweighs the cons

Economic impacts:

long-term

Generate hydroelectric power (electricity for 1/10 of the population)

recovery from the economic lost in the past and for the building of the dams

tourism would increase, more scenic spots

Environmental impacts:

long-term:

flood control (from a 10-year flood interval to 100-year flood interval, floods in the past used to claim thousands of lives)

boost agriculture, water used for irrigation

Anti-Thesis:

Social impacts:

short-term:

people need to be moved out of the place for the building of the dam and some could not get a new home, due to the low compensation and because there were not enough houses to accommodate all of them

many villages and tribes had to be moved out and that caused loss of culture that cannot be brought back

people lose their jobs (farmers) as they do not have the land anymore

Political impacts:

short-term:

issues of corruption in the procedure for relocation as it was a big scale project and funds allocated for resettlement could be used somewhere else, or be embezzled

Environmental impacts:

long-term:

china would lose money, due to loss of fertile land

short-term:

explosives were used to clear the land, this would affect the environment and the area around

Conclusion:

agree to a large extent that building the Three Gorges Dam is a good idea, as in the long run, China would benefit from the building of the dam, compared to the short term impacts that China faces when building the dam, however, impacts such as the loss of culture and land for the building of the dam cannot be changed.

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The construction of the Three Gorges Dam is a good idea as the benefits it brings outweigh the cons." To what extent do you agree?  Discuss.

intro:

– brought about many benefits, such as hydroelectricity, flood control and economic benefits to China.

– but it also has its disadvantages, such as relocation of villagers that lived near the construction site of the Three Gorges Dam, environmental harm, and the deaths of many workers that built the Three Gorges Dam.

thesis:

1. hydroelectricity

– sustainable energy source for many

– less greenhouse gases, reduced air pollution

2. flood control

– [social] less floods, less people affected, less loss of lives

– [economic] avoiding loss of infrastructure, working equipment

– reduction of floods, less damage: less damage cost

– avoids disruption in clean water supply & energy supply

– [political] people will have stronger faith in the government as they took action to control floods

3. economic benefit for China

– China pushing the limits in 21st century technology

– the construction of the dam shows that China is developing as a country

– advanced technology will attract investors and big businesses from other countries, as well as tourists which will boost the economy

anti-thesis:

1. relocation of 1.2m villagers

– younger generation happy to move because it meant better standards of living; better job prospects, better education

– older generation not happy because it's troublesome, they just want to spend their golden years in their hometown

– cultures and traditions disappeared, loss of sense of belonging

– hard to adjust to the new lifestyle in a new environment; have to adapt and make changes which might be difficult for the people

– different ways of living [villagers used to provide and produce their own crops and food, make their own clothes etc] in the new location: villagers might not be able to adapt, cannot find jobs, cannot earn money to make a living for a period of time

2. environmental harm

– although the three gorges dam will reduce air pollution, during the construction of it, the workers had to blow up and destroy many pieces of land

– the dam was very huge so a lot of space had to be cleared: land possibly for agriculture [plants & animals]

3. deaths of many workers

– during the construction of the three gorges dam, many workers died

– caused loss of lives

– caused many families to lose their loved ones. family of those that died due to the three gorges dam might be very emotionally affected and grieved and possibly fall into depression [social]

– family members might be so negatively affected that they lose the motivation to do anything else, e.g. they stop going to work.

– this reduces the productivity of engaging in activities that bring about economic benefit & does not benefit China's economy [economic]

– many families angered and saddened by the unjustified loss of their loved ones may stop supporting the government because of their decision to build the dam. they may start riots & oppositions etc & cause the government trouble and inconvenience [political]

conclusion:

– agree to a certain extent

– the disadvantages, especially in terms of social aspects of losing many lives and the relocation of people due to the construction of the three gorges dam, negatively affects people not only on very wide scale, but also very heavily. the benefits of building the dam also benefit the country as a whole, but we feel that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits more.

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Intro: The construction of the Three Gorges Dam has brought many economic, social and environmental impacts to China, however there are also some negative implications that arise from the building of the Three Gorges Dam like the relocation of people living along the Yangtze River, affected biodiversity and water pollution.

Thesis: The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China has led to several benefits to the people of China.

flood mitigation

the Three Gorges Dam has a flood storage capacity of 22 cubic metres; this capacity will reduce the frequency of major flooding along the Yangtze River from once every 10 years to once every 100 years.

with less flooding, the country will spend less money and time on rebuilding efforts, less people would lose their lives from flooding, and the water supply will not be contaminated since there would be reduced chance of flooding. the country will benefit economically and socially.

an increase in trade between China and other countries

with a final depth of 525 ft, larger ships can be used to transport products up and down the Yangtze River. the increased navigability would attract traders to trade in China, thus benefitting China economically as trade is estimated to increase five times. transportation costs are expected to reduce by 35-37%. the enhanced navigability is further improved by the ship locks at the Three Gorges Dam. they are big enough to allow twelve large commercial ships to travel over the dam at once.

clean energy from harnessing hydroelectric power from the Three Gorges Dam

the total capacity of Three Gorges Dam is 18.2 million kilowatts and the annual power generation is 84.7 billion kilowatt hours, which greatly relieves the electricity pressure in middle and eastern China.

hydropower is clean and environmentally friendly. the Three Gorges hydropower station can reduce emissions of ten million tons of carbon dioxide, one to two million tons of sulfur dioxide, and vast amounts of oxynitride, carbon monoxide and dust. as such, we can see the contribution of this hydropower station to the long term environmental protection in China.

Anti thesis: The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China has led to several problems to the people of China.

relocation of people

chinese officials estimate 1.1 million will have to be resettled. this is a negative social implication, as the country has to spend more money and time to construct and tear down buildings to house the affected people living along the Yangtze River.

some people might be unhappy to move, leading to them

Water pollution which affects biodiversity

According to Chinese environmental activist Dai Qing, the Yangtze used to be so clear that you could see a pen sink to the bottom. Now it has become so dirty that it is not fit for drinking.

Over the last 50 years, there has been a 73% increase in pollution levels from hundreds of cities, in the main stem of the Yangtze River

This has severely reduced drinking water quality and contributed to dramatic eutrophication.

marine organisms would be affected by the polluted water when they consume it, affecting the entire marine biodiversity.

Conclusion:
we agree to this statement to a large extent, as the benefits of construction of the Three Gorges Dam outweigh the negative implications.

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"
The construction of the Three Gorges Dam is a good idea as the benefits it brings outweigh the cons." To what extent do you agree?  Discuss.

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"The social impacts of building the Three Gorges Dam will be greater than the environmental impacts." To what extent do you agree with the statement?

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"The Three Gorges Dam will be beneficial to the people of China." To what extent do you agree with this statement?

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What are the social impacts of building the Three Gorges Dam?

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Construction of the Three Gorges Dam has more benefits than disadvantages. Discuss why or why not.

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Yujun, Joanne, Rachel Oh, Ying Xuan, Alys, Marie

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Yujun, Joanne, Rachel Oh, Ying Xuan, Alys, Marie

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Is it ultimately beneficial to build the Three Gorges Dam?