555 — height, in feet, of the Washington Monument, the tallest structure in Washington, D.C.
575 — height, in feet, of the new Three Gorges Dam in China (which is also wider than 100 Washington Monuments standing edge to edge)
4.3 million — cubic meters of concrete needed to build the Panama Canal
26.4 million — cubic meters of concrete needed to build the Three Gorges Dam
80 — number of cracks, up to 8 feet in depth, that have appeared in the Three Gorges Dam since its construction 1
53 — number of engineers and other experts in China who in 2000 urged their country’s government to rethink its plans to push ahead with the Three Gorges Dam2
16,000* — number of Native Americans who were forced to abandon their homes and land in the infamous Trail of Tears emigration of 1838 3
1,900,000 — number of Chinese citizens who could ultimately be forced to abandon their homes and land because of the building of the Three Gorges Dam 4
40 — percentage of farmers displaced by the Three Gorges Dam who will not receive land in compensation, according to current plans 5
40 — percentage of migrant laborers displaced by the dam thus... Read more
Articles by Worldwatch Institute
Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization working for an environmentally sustainable and socially just society.