『Abstract
In 1984 the Government of China approved the decision to construct
the Three Gorges Dam Project, the largest project since the Great
Wall. The project had many barriers to overcome, and the decision
was made at a time when sustainability was a relatively unknown
concept. The decision to construct the Three Gorges Project remains
contentious today, especially since Deputy Director of the Three
Gorges Project Construction Committee, Wang Xiaofeng, stated that
“We absolutely cannot relax our guard against ecological and environmental
security problems sparked by the Three Gorges Project” (Bristow,
2007; McCabe, 2007). The question therefore was posed: how sustainable
is the Three Gorges Project? Conventional approaches to sustainability
assessment tend to use monetary based assessment aligned to triple
bottom line thinking. That is, projects are evaluated as trade-offs
between economic, environmental and social costs and benefits.
The question of sustainability is considered using such a traditional
Cost-Benefit Analysis approach, as undertaken in 1988 by a CIPM-Yangtze
Joint Venture, and the Mauri Model Decision Making Framework (MMDMF).
The Mauri Model differs from other approaches in that sustainability
performance indicators are considered independently from any particular
stakeholder bias. Bias is then introduced subsequently as a sensitivity
analysis on the raw results obtained. The MMDMF is unique in that
it is based on the Maori(aの頭に-) concept of
Mauri, the binding force between the physical and the spiritual
attributes of something, or the capacity to support life in the
air, soil, and water. This concept of Mauri is analogous to the
Chinese concept of Qi, and there are many analogous concepts in
other cultures. It is the universal relevance of Mauri that allows
its use to assess sustainability. This research identified that
the MMDMF was a strong complement to Cost-Benefit Analysis, which
is not designed as a sustainability assessment tool in itself.
The MMDMF does have relevance in identifying areas of conflict,
and it can support the Cost-Benefit Analysis in assessing sustainability,
as a Decision Support Tool. The research concluded that, based
on both models, the Three Gorges Project as understood in 1988,
and incorporating more recent sustainability analysis is contributing
to enhanced sustainability.
Keywords: Sustainability assessment; Mauri Model; Decision Making
Framework; Three Gorges Project』
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Methodology
3.1. The Mauri Model Decision Making Framework
3.2. Cost-Benefit Analysis
3.3. Comparison of the assessments
4. Assessment results
4.1. The Mauri Model Decision Making Framework
4.2. Cost-Benefit Analysis
5. Discussion
5.1. Cost-Benefit Analysis
5.2. MMDMF
5.3. Assessing sustainability
6. Conclusions and scope for further research
Acknowledgements
Appendix A. Supplementary material
References