China’s hydropower empire: A look into the developing rewards and cost to a rapidly evolving energy climate in one of the world’s largest economic powers The Chinese population is currently the largest in the world, with over a billion citizens. And with this sizable population, comes also one of the largest consumers of power. With the large energy demands of this industrialized country, the Chinese government is making strides to become more sustained on renewable energies. The energy needs of the Chinese were reflected on highly by the article Reinventing Fire by Lovins and Creyts, where it mentions the cost on the environment to industrialize at such a rapid pace. Initially sourcing the cheapest methods, coal quickly became the major player in China’s energy needs. In addition to being the largest consumer of coal, China also holds the title of the largest producer and this coal powers much of …show more content…
In my person opinion prior to reading this article, hydropower had an angelic ring around it. I was only really aware of the positives in comparison to fossil fuels. I enjoyed having my knowledge broadened. I think that it was important for the researchers in both papers to give the full story behind hydropower, including the displacement of people and methane release because those issues are sometimes not even considered by governments in deciding where to put dams. I feel as though after reading this article, I am able to make a better judgment on whether or not hydropower is a good energy source in a region or not. It is not a cure-all and I understand that now. In conclusion to this statement, I postulate that a new way to collect hydropower will need to be created in order to limit some of the negative effects currently seen with hydropower