Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Climate warning
Climate warning
Wil Sillen
12 w
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Skiing in the desert! Next level madness?
In 2029, the Asian Winter Games will be held in the heart of the desert of Saudi Arabia!
By: Frank Landman
In most of Saudi Arabia it hardly ever gets colder than ten degrees. The organization will therefore mainly use artificial snow.
But sustainable artificial snow, they say. For example, there will be a large reservoir that will serve as a hydroelectric power station. Luxury hotels and apartments are also being built along the future lake. The mountains around Jabal al-Lawz where it will all take place vary between 1500 and 2600 meters.
Ski slopes will appear on the jagged mountain slopes of the Red Sea coast. The mountainous area is called Trojena and is part of the 500 billion Neom project, which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to build in the desert.
Neom must attract tourists and investors. But from the moment construction was announced in 2017, it has raised eyebrows. Within this project will be a bizarre city: The Line, which is 170 kilometers long and 200 meters wide. The city would be enclosed by two gigantic glass walls 500 meters high, which would be built opposite each other. Citizens live and work in these walls, and in the space between them artificial forests, lakes, rivers and waterfalls will be created. It has no cars, everyone can travel with flying taxis and will be on the road for a maximum of twenty minutes for each journey. All kinds of shops and supplies are available within a 5-minute walk. An artificial moon is also part of the project.
Saudi Arabia claims that the city has ideal weather conditions all year round due to all the gadgets present.
According to the crown prince, The Line should already house 1.2 million inhabitants in 2030, and in 2045 that number should have grown to 9 million. The intention is that the city will run entirely on renewable energy. Energy must be generated with solar panels or by means of hydrogen combustion. Architects and consultants have repeatedly questioned whether all these goals are achievable.
Saudi Arabia is often accused of "sportswashing". By organizing major sporting events, such as the Formula 1 race in Jeddah, the country would like to divert attention from the abysmal human rights situation in the country.
The program of the winter games consists of skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and figure skating. There are a total of 28 events on snow and 19 on ice. In the desert of Saudi Arabia!
How can you try really hard to combat global CO2 emissions on the one hand and on the other hand let it flow away with the tap wide open.
In addition to the human rights debacle at the World Cup in Qatar, now winter games that, in addition to human rights violations, also put nature further behind.
Oil money rules and buys projects that go against every (natural) law!
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10 w
Dear Wil Sillen Thank you for getting your climate warning to level 2! We have reached out to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and asked for a response. I will keep you updated on any progress! /Adam We Don't Have Time
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10 w
I keep on saying oil, gas and coal are the greatest threats to climate justice!
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12 w
This is a good example of misplaced priorities. This huge amounts of cash should have been used to support and accelerate climate restoration actions.
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12 w
Sounds like a Monty Python joke.
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12 w
That wasn't the smartest decision... but oil money seems to be able to buy everything!
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12 w
If they are all that focused on renewable energy then I don't understand your point. Yes, you pointed out the "violation" of human rights here and there but you kind of failed to mention how other than randomly linking it with the Qatar football world cup.