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| The Belo Monte dam in the Brazilian Amazon. One of the biggest in the world, it was plagued by government and corporate corruption, did extensive socio-environmental damage, and has failed dramatically in producing promised amounts of electricity. Image courtesy of Wasserkraftwerk. |
By Michael Schuy
Thousands of hydroelectric dams are being planned across the world but many people don't know the negative environmental and cultural impact these dams have. Dams are famous for providing jobs, clean water supply, and energy. This is why most developed and developing countries are attracted to finance these hydropower projects. However, most people are not aware of the true costs that come from building dams. About 427 million people have experienced the negative effects of dam construction. The people that live in downstream, river-dependent communities may be displaced in the initial dam planning. The chances that these peoples food securities and livelihoods will be disrupted are heightened by dam construction. Communities suffer immeasurable cultural losses from these hydropower construction projects, that drastically change the environment. The cost of removing a dam once it's no longer useful is another reason why dams should not be constructed. If people added both the cost to build and the cost remove then local governments would consider other means of producing energy. Dam construction and development cause an enormous amount of environmental damage. As a result of the initial construction and deforestation, the grounds around the dam will have increased sediment deposits. Shortening the dam's useful lifespan and requiring the expensive process known as dredging to clean out unwanted debris. This topic relates to our course as dams are major construction projects that damage the environment and the surrounding ecosystem. Messing up the livelihoods of local communities, disrupting the land, and the local wildlife. When the water cycle is disrupted because of a significant increase in deforestation it leads to a decrease in precipitation and consequently less availability of water for rivers. Additionally, if drought occurs in the region of the dam, the river flow will decrease and this will mean less power produced by the dam. There is a true monetary, environmental and cultural cost with our hydroelectric dam consumption. I contend that governments reconsider giving out contracts to build these massive concrete walls. There has to be other more cost-effective solutions to providing clean renewable power to people. I believe that governments and dam contractors need to find ways to build hydro dams that don't endanger the very ecosystems and people that have to tolerate living by these massive concrete monuments.
Works Cited
Kimbrough, Liz. “The Hidden Costs of Hydro: We Need to Reconsider World's Dam Plans.” Mongabay Environmental News, 5 Mar. 2019, news.mongabay.com/2019/03/the-hidden-costs-of-hydro-we-need-to-reconsider-worlds-dam-plans/.
Moran EF, Lopez MC, Moore N, et al (2018) Sustainable hydropower in the 21st century. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115:11891–11898. doi: 10.1073/PNAS.1809426115
This is an interesting topic, and it is similar to the topic I wrote about. I like how you mentioned the high cost, environmental destruction, and the negative effects this has on communities. I did not know that dams could have a detrimental impact on the water cycle. I agree that we should be very careful about the effects of energy sources that are deemed to be "clean" and "renewable." Raising awareness about the drawback of dams may motivate people to think of better solutions.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see that hydro dams seem to have many more cons than pros, yet they are still so heavily invested in. Maybe in the near future we will find ways to make them cleaner and more efficient for the environment.
ReplyDeleteI had never considered all of the problems with dams before. It's crazy to read that 427 million people have experienced the negative effects of dam construction. This is definitely a topic that needs more attention.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to dams, I feel like most people, including myself, have never put much thought into the impact their construction has. Hearing the harm they cause, not only to the environment but to the people who live near them, has shocked me. Hopefully, this topic will gain more awareness and we can create something in the future that has less of a negative impact.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that there were detrimental effects on the water cycle due to dams. I feel like many people don't even give them a second thought, however it should be a more publicized topic considering the harm it does to the surrounding communities.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting topic. Before reading this, I didn't knew about the disadvantages of dams that are harming the environment and the people who live there. I think many people have a lack of knowledge about this topic and in the future I believe they will get more educated on this topic.
ReplyDeleteHydro Dams are very relevant in New York State as we do have many rivers that could be used to produce hydroelectricity. would you say that dams do more or less damage than other ways of producing energy such as coal, nuclear, or wind?
ReplyDeleteI really like how you chose a topic that many people were not aware of. I had no idea that these dams had not many negatives. I had never thought about how dams could have a bad effect on people. This is definitely something that should be publicized more.
ReplyDeleteThis was so interesting to me because everyone knows about dams, but it isn't common for people to think about the negative effects. It is so obvious when you do take the time to think about it though. It is changing something naturally made by the earth. Great topic.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the topic is so different. For having many hydrodams in NY it was very cool to see their effects on nature. We need a new solution.
ReplyDeleteYou brought up some very interesting points about hydrodams. I had never considered the possible ramifications of building dams other than the obvious benefits as a source of renewable energy. It's very interesting how building these dams can not only cause financial problems or a loss or resources for people downstream, but also how it can affect many peoples' cultures.
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