Re: three gorges dam
<<Residents are being forcibly relocated, and environmentalists have bemoaned the loss of some beautiful scenery and sights of historic importance>>
<<<According to a National Geographic report on the project, while relocated folks complain, mostly over compensation level, they also say they are willing and happy to relocate for the good of their kids who are then able to live a better life because of what the dam can bring … cheap power. Poor countries must eat first and worry about the scenery later. Yup, that was a taunt to the environmentalists.>>>
I am not familiar with the specifics of this project so my comments will involve a little speculation...
I suspect the environmentalists bemoan quite a bit more than the loss of scenery and historic sights. To frame the issue as affluent do-gooders worried about losing a potential vacation destination vs destitute peasants worried about their next meal sounds (to me) like the transparent argument of the dam builder seeking to portray himself as the champion of the poor teeming masses as he attempts to discredit his opposition as self-serving extremists. There are unquestionably (i speculate confidently) potential (i hedge) ecosystem impacts from a project of this scale. The impacts go far beyond the loss of scenery (but you know this).
Of course, the dam builder will no doubt believe (even if he won't argue it to the naysayers) that the towering concrete monolith, standing for the ages as a monument to man's technological cleverness, blah, blah, blah is a net addition to the existing, anthropogenically-challenged scenery. But scenery is in the eye of the beholder, i believe it's said...
"folks complain...but they are willing and happy...for the good of their kids"
Yeah, for the good of their kids. Just like J6P. We are all aware of how the common person intelligently weighs the pros/cons of huge, complex public works projects and, in the final analysis, makes a decision based on the long term impacts to the society in which he lives. I suspect that the perceived near-term benefits (government cash, construction jobs, prefab housing equipped with the electronic opium of tv???) are probably more relevant considerations.
"what the dam can bring...cheap power"
and what wonderful uses do people find for cheap power? (think las vegas...) "Cheap power" is, i'd argue, a matter of how you do your accounting. And i'll speculate again and suggest there are no lines on the dam builder's balance sheet for ecosystem and cultural destruction.
john |
