Author: Rebecca Boyle, Reuters 8/2/2010
When China built their gigantic Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric facility, they probably weren't counting on it becoming a giant garbage trap. However, according to this article, that is exactly what is happening. The 37.5 billion dollar dam, which is located on the Yangtze River, is not only causing environmental problems but is also accumulating millions of cubic feet of trash. The garbage itself either runs off from the land during rains or is dumped directly into the river upstream. In some places it is so thick that it is possible to walk on the layer of floating waste. Although 3,000 tons of garbage are being removed from the dam every day, Chinese media states that it still has the potential to clog the dam's locks, stopping ships from being able to pass. This article both put the world's waste management challenges in perspective for me and exposed some of China's issues as a country. I think that it is ironic that the Communist Chinese government built this enormous symbol of power only to have it be compromised by mountains of trash. I also think it's pretty sad that, according to the article, environmentalists had suspected that the dam's reservoir would fill with debris but apparently weren't given much attention. If China has such a huge trash problem, as we saw from the video in class, why is so much effort being poured into giant construction projects rather than solving the issue at hand? Anyway, I feel bad for the Chinese people who have to endure living amongst their own garbage. The video we watched in class really had an emotional impact on me, especially during the scene where a Chinese woman picked through an illegal dump for food. The Chinese government may be working hard to give China a shining face (the Bejing Olypics opening ceremony comes to mind), but beneath all of those theatrics is a nation that is far from perfect.
China, and the whole world for that matter, needs to get on top of the garbage problem. Unfortunately, until a serious disaster happens as a result of the trash (say, the dam does jam or we become buried under tons of waste) I am inclinded to think that attention will be focused elsewhere. Sooner or later, though, all of those high-tech landfills we learned about are going to fill up. I just hope that we will be able to come up with a more long term solution before that time so that we can avoid the turnmoil that a "forced" change would cause.
Do you have any ideas for long-term solutions to the trash problem?
What is your opinion about the actions of the Chinese government?
What is your reaction to the China segment in "The Secret Life of Garbage" along with the issue presented in this article?
I think that it is sad that there is that much trash piling in on the dam. I can imagine that if it is that bad in china, it will soon be happening here in the U.S. We have to figure out new ways to get rid of trash and convince people that recycling is going to necessary for us. If we don't, we will end up like china is right now and that will not be good for anyone.
ReplyDeleteThis also reminded me of the video in class. Now i understand that what they were saying in the video is actually happening in real life. It kind of makes me sad to see what our world has become over the past decade. I hope one day that this trash problem will be gone and ou environment will be clean and safe.
I think that the chinese government should do something about this. Having this much trash in their country and not properly disposing of it will hurt everyone. Also the government is supposed to help the people who live there and all this trash is doing no good.
China has a serious problem on thier hands. The Three Gorges Dam is suppose to provide electricity for China and now it is providing more problems then good. Soon it will be impossible for China to remove all that trash from the dam. Sooner or later the trash will overflow and affect even more surronding areas. I agree with you Connor, China's government needs to come up with a solution to the problem. If the trash keeps pilling up on the dam who knows what will happen.
ReplyDeleteI remember learning about the Three Gorges Dam in global studies. We learned how massive it was. I never knew how many problems it is causing. It's harming our environment in more ways then one. This article also reminded me of what we learned about the U.S. trash problems. We learned about the many ways our country gets rid of its trash and still has a excessive amount left. The U.S. could be facing a problem similar to China's now. We all need to come up with a solution.
I think the Chinese government is being lazy and selfish. This is a serious problem that could destroy our environment. Their government is just worrying about how their country looks. The people of the country can be hurt by this trash problem. The Chinese government needs to take action.
This problem really reminds of the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." In the movie, an environmentalist tries to warn foreign governments of a crisis that would result from global climate change. However, they dismiss him and ignore him. Following this, the world basically goes into an ice age. This is obviously way worse than the trash problem in China, but it is a serious problem there. It is sad to see this happen to a country. I feel that the Chinese Government needs to step up big time- and if they don't, I feel that it is the responsibility of other nations to help out. Our government is based around the thought of those who CAN take action have the responsibility to do so. But, China really needs to fix this problem. It would be a shame to see such a country to go down in their own trash. If I was a part of the Chinese government, this would absolutely embarrass me, so I would take action, not hide it.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sad to think about this dam and all of the people living in China. The fact that they could stand in trash possibly is awful, and it is really something that needs to be given more attention. It will eventually overflow and cause even MORE trash on the land too! People don't take this issue seriously, but it is a huge issue!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the video "The Secret Life of Garbage" and it all ties together for me. It reminds me that even though we necessarily can't see the garbage it is still there, waiting for someone to do something with it. It makes me sad to think that this could eventually happen to us and the effects it could have on us as a society.
China's government really needs to clean up their act. They need to step up and focus on big issues at hand like these trash problems. They are already swimming in trash, and I would hate to see what is to come if it doesn't stop. The Chinese are hiding this from the rest of the world when really they should be asking for help. I think they are so caught up in their image that they are afraid to ask for help and that could really hurt their entire country.