RJA#11: Annotated Bibliographies, Part 2

1.) Tan, Raymond. "Alternatives to Dams." Environe. N.p., 19 May 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2010.

This source was really wonderful in regards to alternatives to dams. It provided a variety of different perspectives on different approaches to solutions. It included ideas on spending money for researching new ways, in addition to utilizing energy efficient technology we already have. It suggested implementing and trying new avenues like fuel cell technology, as well as just fixing and rehabilitating older dams. It also talks about dam decommissioning, and restoring river life as a means to alternatives to dams.

2.) Chao, Liang. "More Bid Farewell to Three Gorges." China Daily 15 July 2004. Web. 9 Apr. 2010.

This newspaper article was by far the best article I have found that deals directly with displaced people of a dam. The article was clearly written objectively and gave two very good accounts of life for a resettled person after they’re forced to leave. This article in China Daily expresses the hardships, personal feelings/attitudes as a result of their new life. This article also accounts for two different people affected by the dam. One citizen made out okay with government retribution, while the other has lost everything. A very good objective article!

3.) Barlow, Maude. Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water. New York: The New Press, 2007. Print.

Maude Barlow is more focused on the distribution of fresh water around the world, but she is relevant to my topic when discussing the distribution and cleanliness of the water. This source is brief but useful in that she discusses the effects that low quality water has on people. Astounding statistics of people dying from preventable diseases as a result of poor water quality (diarrhea etc.) as a result (in part) of dams. Maude Barlow is a very credible resource to use because she is a leading activist for public distribution of water, one of the main problems when dams get built, they claim the water will be distributed evenly, but rarely are.

4.) Burke, Edmund, and Kenneth Pomeranz. The Environment and World History. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Print.

This book was a wonderful portrayal of how dams (even since pre-colonial/colonial times) stood for symbols of national development and economic power. Dams remain symbols for national pride, even when their benefits are less than the cost. This source really shed light on and insisted the prominence dams have had in our history. It even goes as far to say that dams have been our consistent endeavor to conquer the land even when it has catastrophic consequences. I really like this source as an economic standpoint because it has been the most thorough in supplying evidence that dams have always been an imperialistic representation.

5.) Getis, Arthur, Judith Getis, and Jerome D. Fellman. Introduction to Geography. 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 145-46. Print.

This has been an incredible source for environmental impacts of dams. Not only does it list what the repercussions dams have on the environment, but it gives detailed examples. It breaks down hard terms associated with dam problems that you might not be familiar with unless you’re an environmentalist, agriculturist, or engineer. This source focuses only on environmental effects, upstream and downstream, as well as all the development that accompanies a dam. It is one of my favorite sources!