The Role of Large Dams in Promoting Economic Development under the Pressure of Population Growth

Abstract

The close relationship between large dams and social development (i.e., water, food, and energy consumption) has been revealed in previous studies, and the vital role of large dams in sustaining societies has been recognized. With population projections indicating continued growth during this century, it is expected that further economic development of society, e.g., Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, will be greatly affected by possible challenges, such as water, food, and energy shortages in the future, especially if proper planning, development, and management strategies are not adopted. In our previous study, we have argued that construction of additional large dams will be considered as one of the best available options to meet future increases in water, food, and energy demands, which are all crucial to sustain economic development. In the present study, firstly, we will emphasize the vital role of dams in promoting economic growth through analyzing the relationship between large dam development and GDP growth at both global and national scales. Secondly, based on the projection results of future large dam development, we will preliminarily predict the future economic development represented by GDP. The results show that the impacts of large dams upon GDP are more significant in countries with higher levels of socioeconomic development, which generally supports large dams as the vital factor to promote economic development.

Large Dams and Welfare : Empirical Study in Indonesia

“…Moreover, irrigation investment in developed countries is seen to have played role in reducing poverty levels (Nguyen et al, 2017;Yigzaw et al, 2019). As a result, attempts to increase the number of large dams continued in accordance with the rise in national and regional economic growth in many countries (Shi et al, 2019).…”

Socioeconomic Drought Under Growing Population and Changing Climate: A New Index Considering the Resilience of a Regional Water Resources System

“…The outcomes of the present study can improve our understanding of socioeconomic droughts in a region and help in more effectively assessing the resilience of a regional water resources system, especially in changing future socioeconomic and climatic conditions. This, in turn, can lead to a more sustainable planning and management of our water resources (Chen et al, 2016; Exposito & Bethel, 2017; Shi et al, 2019; Tang et al, 2007). In addition, in view of the limitations of this study, further studies can focus on (1) considering the role of different water sectors that influence the WRSRI value and (2) reassessing the performance of the proposed index using up‐to‐date data sets or in other regions.…”

The Effectiveness of Environmental Policy Mix: Evidence from the Zhejiang Sewage Treatment Policy

“…In addition, the policy emphasizes on treating sewage at the right time rather than preventing accidents beforehand, the over construction of these facilities will itself discharge a large amount of sewage. Empirical studies have shown that both large dams and sewage treatment plants have strong economic bene ts, therefore, it is not surprising that this is the case [22,23].…”