Socioeconomic impacts of hydropower development on the Yibin-Chongqing section, upper reaches of the Yangtze River

Publication date: Available online 18 May 2015 Source:Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C Author(s): Jing Ma , Yu Liu , Hao Wang , Deng Hua Yan , Ying Kang Lv , Zhaohui Yang The positive effect of hydropower in climate change adaption is well accepted by the international community and has been highlighted many times, while understanding of its impact on socioeconomic development stagnates at the stage of rough estimation and qualitative description. The aim of this paper is to quantify the socioeconomic impacts of hydropower development to reflect its positive functions from multiple perspectives and dimensions. By applying the multi-regional Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to a case study of the Yibin-Chongqing section along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the analysis shows that hydropower development has outstanding benefits for the regional economy and livelihood improvement, as proved by various indicators including consumption, investment, GDP, employment, and income. It is a win-win energy development mode which can realize the integration of sustainable socioeconomic development and climate change mitigation. Meanwhile, application of the CGE model provides an effective way to quantitatively assess the socioeconomic impact of hydropower and other clean energy development.

Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - May 25, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: research