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The urgency of assessing the greenhouse gas budgets of hydroelectric reservoirs in China
- Source :
- Nature Climate Change. 3:708-712
- Publication Year :
- 2013
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2013.
-
Abstract
- China, already the largest generator of hydroelectricity, plans to accelerate dam construction. This has led to warnings that increased emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly methane, from Chinese reservoirs could constitute a 'global warming time-bomb'. A review of evidence on emissions from the Three Gorges Reservoir — the world's largest — indicates that such fears are probably misplaced. Already the largest generator of hydroelectricity, China is accelerating dam construction to increase the share of hydroelectricity in its primary energy mix to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we review the evidence on emissions of GHGs, particularly methane, from the Three Gorges Reservoir, and argue that although the hydroelectric reservoirs may release large amounts of methane, they contribute significantly to greenhouse gas reduction by substitution of thermal power generation in China. Nonetheless, more systematic monitoring and modelling studies on greenhouse gas emissions from representative reservoirs are necessary to better understand the climate impact of hydropower development in China.
- Subjects :
- Hydrology
Primary energy
business.industry
Global warming
Thermal power station
Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Methane
chemistry.chemical_compound
chemistry
Environmental protection
Hydroelectricity
Greenhouse gas
Environmental science
China
business
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Hydropower
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17586798 and 1758678X
- Volume :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Nature Climate Change
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........68cf577a63e32856ecfac6b0efe28b1d