China Changed Earth's Rotation With One of Its Projects — And Did Not Learn Its Lesson: Now It Wants an Even Bigger One and Generates Geopolitical Tension

China Changed Earth’s Rotation With One of Its Projects — And Did Not Learn Its Lesson: Now It Wants an Even Bigger One and Generates Geopolitical Tension

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 30/07/2025 at 15:03

Updated on 30/07/2025 at 15:11

Paisagem da Barragem das Três Gargantas em Hubei. Foto: (Foto por Zheng Jiayu/Xinhua)

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With Five Cascading Dams and Record Generation, Chinese Megaproject in Tibet Raises Alerts About Environmental Impact and Geopolitical Tension

China began on July 19 a project that promises to surpass all limits of hydraulic engineering. With a budget of 167 billion dollars, the new project will feature five cascading dams.

The estimate is that the annual energy generation will reach 300 billion kWh, almost three times more than the Three Gorges Dam.

The plan extends to 2030. When completed, the structure will become the largest hydroelectric project in the world. The construction reinforces China’s goal to advance energy transition and reduce fossil fuel use. But the new dam does not come without controversies.

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More Energy, More Tension

The project will be built in Tibet, a region that already concentrates political and environmental tensions. Countries like India and Bangladesh have expressed concern about the possible effects on water supply and the environmental balance of the river.

The fear is not unwarranted. The Three Gorges Dam, built years ago, caused measurable effects on the Earth.

According to NASA, the planet’s rotation has slowed by 0.06 microseconds per day. Additionally, the Earth’s axis has shifted by 2 centimeters. All of this due to the enormous mass of water accumulated—about 40 billion cubic meters.

Risks Beyond the Axis

Even though the physical effects are nearly imperceptible to the global population, the regional impacts draw attention.

Residents and environmentalists warn of the risk of earthquakes, environmental collapse, and loss of biodiversity.

Tibet is an area of great geological sensitivity. Concentrating such a large amount of water there generates tension among residents.

The volume of the new structure will be even greater than that of the previous dam. This reinforces the fear that the effects may also be multiplied.

Largest Dam in the World

If everything goes as planned, China will take the global lead in hydroelectric production. The new dam will become the largest on the planet.

But in the meantime, the debate over the collateral effects continues to grow—both in the region and on the international stage.

With information from Xataka.

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China Changed Earth’s Rotation With One of Its Projects — And Did Not Learn Its Lesson: Now It Wants an Even Bigger One and Generates Geopolitical Tension

With Five Cascading Dams and Record Generation, Chinese Megaproject in Tibet Raises Alerts About Environmental Impact and Geopolitical Tension

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Largest Dam in the World

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China Changed Earth’s Rotation With One of Its Projects — And Did Not Learn Its Lesson: Now It Wants an Even Bigger One and Generates Geopolitical Tension

With Five Cascading Dams and Record Generation, Chinese Megaproject in Tibet Raises Alerts About Environmental Impact and Geopolitical Tension

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At just 14 years old, a boy creates a system without energy, using steel pipes buried in the ground, that irrigates seedlings with moisture from the air, to combat the water scarcity threatening reforestation in northern China.

Where there was only sand and wind at 40 degrees, China built a megacity of 500,000 inhabitants with farms, wineries, and universities in the middle of the desert using melted glacier water from hundreds of kilometers away.

At over 8,800 meters above sea level, the summit of Mount Everest is made up of rocks that originated at the bottom of an ocean about 500 million years ago and were pushed to the highest point on Earth by the collision of tectonic plates.

The German economist Wolf-Peter Schill has no doubts: “Electric cars are already far superior to cars with internal combustion engines.”

Brazil accelerates decarbonization in the South: International forum in Foz do Iguaçu gathers leaders to discuss the advancement of biomethane in the energy matrix and the potential of “caipira pre-salt.”

Alert in the fuel market: Analysts and a former director of ANP warn that oil prices may worsen in the coming months due to global instability.

Roraima bets on the sun to escape high tariffs: Amid the energy crisis and price hikes, solar energy is growing in Roraima and transforming consumption in the North region.

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