The Dam Debate
The film DamNation depicts the dam debate as a clash of values among different members of American society. Standard dam supporters, mostly lawmakers, believed that the building represented a social benefit to the commons. They were, though, unconcerned about the dams' long-term effects. To date, there are two opposing camps on the subject: those who agree that dams are a means of society because they demonstrate humans' desire to transform nature to meet their needs, such as transportation, and those who believe that dams and the resulting modification of waterways harm the natural habitat and culture of Americans, that fails to meet the threshold of civilization but demonstrates unsustainable development (Board on Sustainable Development, 1999).
Tragedy of the Commons
This essay demonstrates that the rising concern about dams in DamNation is an illustration of tragedy of the commons. DamNation's powerful visual delivers an emotional experience to the audience especially the way in which manmade dams are obstacles to the free will of nature by building approximately 75,000 within a time span of 90 years. The film introduces the audience to politicians, dam builders, activists, explorer's arts, historians and recreation enthusiasts' contribution to building of dams. The traditionally shared positive opinions about dams included providing ordinary people with alternative means of generating power, ship cargo, irrigate their land and other needs while restoring rivers and recovering fish stocks, revitalizing waterfronts, improving recreational opportunities and rendering watersheds more increasingly resilient to climate change which are all important to the commons (Lansing, 1991). The dams are now a challenge to the culture and natural landscape of all Americans. With the experiences of salmons thereafter, the authors unabashedly criticize the manmade and natural injustices that the long-held obsession of America with engineering megatructures brings (Harvey, 1996).
The Effects of Dam Construction
DamNation film explores the effects of what was originally the American pride and the subsequent adverse effects of such pride on lives and health of the rivers on which the dams are constructed. The author beautifies the free-flowing river while introducing a shared heartache associated with viewing cultural sites getting submerged under reservoirs and power explosion blowing up a dam, bringing joy to anti-dam advocates and the fish that flow upstream to spawn. The powerful movie inspires and pays eloquent homage to rivers that disappear behind massive dams against the wishes of the common man (McCully, 2001a)). Specifically, the film suggests that the traditional beliefs that construction of big dams are a form of civilization because of it allows humans to expand the capacity at which nature can serve are insensitive because in the long run, it alters the lives of animals that depend on it.
The Cultural and Environmental Consequences
As evidence, the majestic cinematography of DamNation explores the landscapes that are altered by dams as well as the metamorphosis in values from the conquered of the natural world that was conventionally perceived as the epitome of civilization to help ordinary people acquire basics such as food, energy and recreation. However the dams served their functions for a short term but the long-term effects were detrimental, not only to nature itself but also to the culture of Americans. It is the main reason why the author compels Americans to remove dams that are obsolete or unnecessary and restore rivers. For instance, the disappearance of salmons from the American community life is a form of cultural loss to the Americans, which is a tragedy (Pinkerton, 1989). The film also suggests that the rush to harness the energy of every river in America is a fallout with nature. The effort to recover them through demolition of the dams depicts the changing attitudes of the community towards large dams after a consensus. The recently removed high profile dams include the dam on Elwha River of Washington and Penobscot River of Maine.
A Decimation of Salmon Fisheries
The authors utilize gripping interviews and stunning images to reflect on the cultural and environmental consequences of building dams in the USA. They recognize that the dams eventually lead to a decimation of salmon fisheries as suggested by Ostrom (1990). Other tragedies include the destruction of precious archeological sites and sinking of breathtaking canyons of the Southwest. Therefore, the conventional celebration of dam construction has a negative impact on humans themselves in the future by limiting the commons' access to important resources such as the canyons (Harvey, 2003). The issue is exacerbated by silting of the dams which limit their functions.
The Recovery of Rivers
DamNation does not stint the history and science of dams but conveys the experiences of people and animals since their construction. For instance, the author reflects on the awe of watching a significantly weighty salmon hurtling 20 feet into the air in an effort to reach the upstream spawning grounds that are barricaded by the dams. When the dam breaks apart, the river breaks free and the sight of watching the wild salmon swimming upstream is filled with relief after a century of denied access to their homes. To the author, many people are in favor of the argument that whenever a dam is removed, the life of the river is recovered or regenerated indirectly. The removal of dams gives way to marine animals such as salmon to go back to their natural trend of primeval spawning grounds upstream.
A Generational Shift
In Conclusion, the film 'DamNation' is a demonstration of how things that are perceived as important to common people can turn out to be tragedies. In the mid-20th century, people thought that dams were a power for good. The 20th century was associated with triumphant engineering projects in the country such as Hoover Dam. As times have changed, it has come to Americans' realization that what they believed about dams was not progress but regress to the entire community. The owners of dams, the communities that are affected and politicians are now reevaluating the level of usefulness of some dams while others are advocating for removal and decommissioning, As a matter of fact, the advocacy for removal of dams represents a generational shift in values an undeniable momentum that has begun to take over America.
References
Board on Sustainable Development (1999). Our Common Journey: A transition towards Sustainability. National research Council. Washington D.C
Glassman, J. (2002). From Seattle (and Ubon) to Bangkok. The Scales of Resistance to Corporate Globalization. Environ. Plan. D Society Space. 20:513-533
Harvey, D. (1996). Justice, Nature and the Geography of Difference.
Harvey, D. (2003). The New Imperialism. Pp 187-192
Lansing, J.S. (1991).Priests and programmers: Technologies of Power in the Engineered Landscape of Bali. Princeton.
McCully, P. (2001a).Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams: the Enlarged and Updated perspective.
Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. New York.
Pinkerton, E. (1989). Cooperative Management of Local Fisheries. Vancouver
