Q3: Three Gorges Dam is the biggest Dam in the world, it brings
many social benefit. However, the environment around pay a
very high cost.
Three Gorges Dam is a physical barrier which disrupts the river
ecosystem and fragments the habitats it contains. There are 47
endangered species in the Yangtze River, the Dam might damage
the spawning of fish and leads to extinction of species. Another
major environmental impact identified was deforestation. Large
areas of forest had to be cleared both for the construction of the
dam and to provide homes and farms for people who were
displaced. Base on the report, the impact identified was the
increase risk of landslides due to the steep sides of the river,
which were already unstable.
Some benefit is that the energy produced by the dam does not
release greenhouses gases, so air quality will improve with the
increase use of electrical power. Also, the dam will reduced
seasonal flooding and increasing economic development.
Q4: Technically, EIA has strengths and weaknesses.
For the strengths, the report provide a non-technical summary
at the conclusion so that lay-people and the median can
understand the implications of the study. Also, it provide a
reference for the decision-maker. EIAs can lead to changes in the
development plan, avoiding negative environmental impact.
However, EIA has some weaknesses. Environmental impact
prediction is speculative because of the complexity of ecosystem
and the uncertainty of the project. The predictions of an EIA
might prove to be inaccurate in the long term.