Should the Three Gorges Dam have been built? -From an economist's point of view

Point of View: I am an economist working for the National People's Congress and I am against the building of the dam. This is because the initial building of the dam will drain the government of its financial resources. But not only will the money be spent, but also spent on a undoubtedly failing investment as the dam's benefits such as hydro-electricity production will only last for about ten years. As the river slows down, …

…site clearly shows piling of sediment behind dam and erosion downstream with animation) www.threegorgesprobe.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=4199 "Dam opponents add that the cost-effectiveness of hydropower is further eroded by subsidies for industrial users and, sometimes, by considerable siltation, which can reduce dam capacity, thereby diminishing generating power, or deplete downstream farmlands, which are dependent upon silt for nutrients." http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/qa/105-10focus/focus.html