Photo by Du Huaju/Corbis
Heavy rains have brought water levels at China‘s Three Gorges Dam to within spitting distance of the massive structure’s maximum capacity. Chinese officials have defended the controversial dam, saying that it would be able to withstand 10,000-year floods. However the country’s summer rains are the worst they have been in 10 years, with widespread flooding causing the deaths of at least 823 people.
[...] to build, but, once built, they are long-lasting, reliable, and do less environmental damage than hydroelectric dams or fossil fuel [...]