Shouldn't we maybe have voted on this..as a planet?

[andywoolloo]

don't we need a vote or something before one country can affect the rotation of the earth FFS?

http://www.theenergylibrary.com/node/11435

[MatsP]

No. Every time there is a earthquake of any significance (Richter scale of 6 or more), the earth "moves in time" a bit. But hardly measurable amounts.

It is much worse for the future of earth's creatures that the dam has made extinct many species of fish and other aquatic life-forms around the dam - both up- and down-stream of the dam [no don't ask me which ones, I'm just confident that this is the case without checking it].

--
mats

[andywoolloo]

yes, that too! re the fish and animals.

but we cannot control when we have an earthquake. But we don't have to make those dams, rt?

[MatsP]

Oh, sure. But there are only 3-4 rivers that potentially has this effect on the planet, and that makes 3-4 x 0.06 microseconds (or 60 nanoseconds).

Speed of light is 186000 miles per second. In 60 nanoseconds, light will travel about 18 meters/55 ft. Bear in mind that light travels to the moon in about 1.3 seconds. It's not a lot of time. And this is one of the largest dams ever built.

Or put another way: If we shift 60 nanoseconds every day [not just the once when filling up the dam the first time], it would take 45000 years to shift earths rotation by a second. Even if we fill the dam EVERY SECOND [which is almost impossible], it would take over half a year to shift the earth's rotation by one second.

It is an insignificant change to the planet - the impact on life is MUCH worse.

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Mats

[MatsP]

I would like to add that if this makes people protest against dams - fine. But it's not the important factor of dams.

--
Mats

[Mike_Noren]

[no don't ask me which ones, I'm just confident that this is the case without checking it].

Yes; a double-digit number of species were lost as a result of the dam. Casualties included one of the world's freshwater dolphins, the world's largest sturgeon, and the world's largest freshwater turtle (although I think there's still one or two of those in captivity somewhere).

As a tragic aside the two last sturgeons were a mature pair which died in captivity after having been fed only bread.

[andywoolloo]

so I am on ur side Mats, dams bad...bad for everything... right? I do not like them sam I am.

and it's a big impact on the world just like the rio xingu dam crap. there needs to be more discussion among countries when all will be affected.

[catmar]

There was mention of the dam in the April National Geographic mag, which was devoted to the subject of freshwater. The Earth's axis has been tilted by nearly a inch by the dam and the water behind it-I still can't get my head around facts like that. I agree with andywoolloo, projects of this magnitude need to be discussed globally-but would China listen?