Three Gorges Dam
Large dam construction projects can be seen as humankind's attempt to control nature by changing the course and speed of a river. Is controlling nature a worthwhile goal for humankind? Should we try to live in harmony with nature instead? Throughout history, philosophers such as John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Rachel Carson, and Gifford Pinchot have argued about these and other ideas relating to human interaction with the natural world. The Yangtze River was formed from the movement of the earth's crust some 40 million years ago. It is the world's third largest river after the Amazon and the Nile. China has relied largely on the Yangtze River for thousands of years. Just the same, people have feared the Yangtze for thousands of years. It has long brought frequent and disastrous floods to downstream residents. It has killed hundreds of thousands of Yangtze dwellers. The river has been part of these people's lives, whether good or bad, since the beginning of times. For centuries, floods have drastically effected the people along the Yangtze. This century alone, floods have killed over 300,000 people. The flood of 1998 alone was so cataclysmic that not only did it kill people, but almost drowned China's economy. In August of 19
This fertile farmland and forests are one of the foundations of China's heritage and contain many temples, shrines, and other archeological sites. Flood control is not the only positive impact that the dam will have. The whitefin dolphins are the largest freshwater dolphins in existence. This increase in shipping will be due to the complexity of the dam. The area upstream will also be subject to changes during large floods as water levels back upstream and rise; presenting difficulties to the new cities and cliffs. The Three Gorges Dam will impede the free flow of the Yangtze and may drive two of China's aquatic creatures to extinction. The Three Gorges Dam offers great rewards: a large source of power, increased transportation, controlling of life taking floods; it also poses risks to the environment and the Chinese themselves. That is enough power to run a city ten times the size of Los Angeles. It will provide flood control for the downstream area on the Yangtze River. Being that the canyons are so narrow and steep this reservoir will inundate a large amount of land. 3 million tons of carbon dioxide as well as ten thousand tons of nitrous oxides. Concerns have also arisen over the dam's durability during an earthquake. The Three Gorges Dam will favorably impact the environment in several ways. The damming of the Yangtze River by the Three Gorges Dam will create a reservoir that will be nearly six hundred kilometers long.
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Acceptance Essays
