The Three Gorges hydroelectric dam was conceived as the new symbol of China's power in a world driven by the latest innovations. However, today it is seen around the world as a catastrophic environmental disaster made real through corruption, improper planning and total disregard for warnings. The dam was China's response to controlling annual floods, a problem that in 1998 displaced 300 million Chinese living on the banks of the Yangtze River. The Chinese tactic has also been to increase international trade by deepening the Yangtze River to accommodate large merchant ships further into mainland China. Most importantly, China has invested $24 billion to reduce the annual burning of 50 million tons of coal, with the aim of producing 10 percent of China's total electricity needs by 2012, in response to of its growing population. Despite these goals of economic growth and clean energy production, government officials 'cut corners' during the inspection to save money and refused to heed warnings from engineers and environmentalists about potential environmental devastation. “China decided to launch the project and then solve problems along the way.” (John Byrne, director of the University of Delaware Center for Energy and Environmental Policy)Located near the city of Sandopuping in south-central China, after 17 years of construction, the Three Gorges Dam is a modern marvel that now represents the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. It extends 1.3 miles across the Yangtze River, the third largest river in the world, and is 610 feet high. The Yangtze River runs 3,937 miles from Qinghai Province in eastern China to Shanghai and emptying into the East China Sea. The dam could… half of the article… ww.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-tre-gorges-dam-disaster>.Kennedy, Bruce. "CNN In-Depth Special - Visions of China - Asian Superpower: China's Three Gorges Dam." CNN.com - Breaking news, US, world, weather, entertainment and video news. Np, nd Web. March 20, 2011. "Nature Strikes Three Gorges Dam Again | International Rivers." International rivers. Np, nd Web. March 20, 2011. "Three Gorges Dam Flood Turns Deadly; Dozens Missing in China - CSMonitor.com." The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com. Np, nd Web. March 23. 2011. .