Producer: Liu Chang

Hosts: Wang Zongnan & Aiwei

China has launched one of the most ambitious hydropower projects in history: the Medog Hydropower Project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet. Supporters say it will deliver clean energy, fuel development, and help China reach its carbon goals. Critics warn of environmental damage and regional tensions with India and Bangladesh.

In this episode, we unpack the scale, controversies, and global implications of the world’s next mega-dam.

Timestamps

•  00:00 – Opening: The Medog Hydropower Project explained

•  01:31 – Why it’s controversial: downstream worries, ecological risks

•  02:45 – China’s past experience with Mekong cooperation

•  04:00 – Benefits: clean energy, carbon cuts, local development, economic potential: “green-powered AI” and more

•  06:44 – Ending: balancing act between development and ecology

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