7 - The Environmental Saga

Summary

Chapter 7 addresses the environmental impacts of the hydropower nation. Rising water levels in the dam’s reservoir area brought about unforeseen ecological consequences. Alongside the tragic human displacement, various species of fish and waterfowl have experienced a variety of changes in the transformed river landscape. In recent decades, environmental hazards – such as riverbank collapse – have persisted in the reservoir area. On the other hand, the creation of a wetland preserve and the emergence of a thriving population of Whooper Swans in the area offer evidence of the development of a nuanced relationship between humanity and nature in the Chinese state’s pursuit of what it calls an ecological civilization. These developments complicate the overwhelmingly dominant narrative of environmental decline in the field of environmental history.