#megaprojects — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #megaprojects, aggregated by home.social.
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Put together a sourced timeline: Jeddah Tower Timeline: Stall, Restart, 2026 Progress.
As of August 2026 it stands at approximately 430 metres, floor 106-107.
Sources are listed on the page. Corrections genuinely welcome.
https://aitimeline.in/jeddah-tower-timeline-history-construction-4741/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=jeddah-tower-timeline-history
#JeddahTower #KingdomTower #SaudiArabia #Skyscraper #Architecture #Megaprojects -
#News: In #Colombia’s La Guajira, #Wayuu communities are using ancestral seeds, dreams and collective #resistance to survive drought and fight wind #megaprojects on their land 🧐 #HumanRights #IndigenousRights @palmoildetectives
https://dialogue.earth/en/climate/seeds-of-resistance-the-wayuu-response-to-climate-imbalance/?mc_cid=8174f8b55c&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer -
How Japan Plans to Build the Impossible 96,000 km Space Elevator https://www.allforgardening.com/1823282/how-japan-plans-to-build-the-impossible-96000-km-space-elevator/ #CarbonNanotube #construction #ElevatorToSpace #engineering #EngineeringDocumentary #FactoryTour #FutureTechnology #GardenPlans #GeostationaryOrbit #HowIt'sMade #HowToBuildASpaceElevator #JapanMegaproject #JapanSpaceElevator #MEGAPROJECTS #NextgenManufacturing #ObayashiCorporation #SpaceElevator #SpaceElevator2050 #SpaceElevatorExplained #SpaceElevatorJapan #SpaceExploration #SpaceTravel
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Qin Shi Huang And The Search For Eternal Life: Episode 5: The Mercury Elixir Strikes Back
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Qin Shi Huang And The Search For Eternal Life
https://piefed.social/c/historymemes/p/1973940/qin-shi-huang-and-the-search-for-eternal-life
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Forgotten Keepers of the #RioGrandeDelta
An industrial buildout on the southern tip of Texas is erasing the last traces of an ancient world that still hasn’t died.
by Dylan Baddour
May 13, 2024"This society has been trying to get rid of #Mancias’ people for 500 years. It couldn’t kill them all, so it’s destroying the evidence that they ever existed. That’s what Mancias sees as 100-ton bulldozers flatten the hills his #ancestors camped on, churn up their bones, and casually crush them into rubble, removing these last traces of their world.
" 'They almost annihilated us, and that #genocide continues,' Mancias said. 'To destroy the #environment you have to destroy the people who protect it.'
"He faces a formidable foe here at the last frontier for oil and gas on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Every other major inlet from the Mississippi River west through Port Arthur, Houston, Freeport, Lavaca Bay, and Corpus Christi is already ringed with #refineries, #ChemicalPlants, and terminals.
"But at the farthest tip of #Texas, the #RioGrande meets the Gulf between #WildlifeRefuges, a #StatePark, and a majestic #wilderness that still shelters endangered and little-known #wildlife.
"This is where Houston-based developer #NextDecade has begun constructing an $18 billion #MegaProject, which it called the 'largest greenfield energy project [financed] in U.S. history' when it announced in 2023 that it had secured investors to proceed.
"Named #RioGrandeLNG, the 750-acre facility will eventually pipe in up to 27 million tons per year of gas from #fracked wells in the #PermianBasin, supercool it to negative 260 degrees fahrenheit, and load it onto #TankerShips for sale overseas as liquefied natural gas (#LNG). It’s part of an explosion of lookalike projects that quickly made the United States the world’s top exporter of liquefied gas and drove soaring gas production at home.
"On an adjacent tract, another project called Texas LNG intends to build atop a site called #GarciaPasture—an ancient village ground where people lived seasonally for almost 800 years. The World Monument Fund calls it 'one of America’s premier #archaeological sites.' That project has its permits and awaits investor commitments before breaking ground.
"And about 5 miles away, #SpaceX continues to expand its #Starbase complex, where it manufactures and launches the most powerful #rockets in the world (which occasionally explode and fall to earth).
"Mancias fears this is just the beginning.
" 'All of this will be gone,' he said, driving his pickup truck down a highway through the marshes. 'They’re going to destroy all of this.' "
Read more:
https://www.texasobserver.org/forgotten-keepers-of-the-rio-grande-delta/#DefendingTheSacred #SacredSites
#TexasObserver #InsideClimateNews #BigOilAndGas #CulturalGenocide #CorporateColonialism #ElonSucks #MegaProjects #Pollution #Fracking #SpaceIndustry #DefendTheSacred #EndangeredSpecies -
"While neglecting their demands, the government has repeatedly responded to #Indigenous protests against the violation of their land rights with heavy crackdowns. Its repression of communities that resisted the #InteroceanicCorridor has ranged from setting fishermen’s houses on fire in Oaxaca to evicting and arresting Ayuujk indigenous protesters there."
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/03/12/we-think-theyll-kill-someone-environmental-defenders-mexico/
https://archive.ph/FNSsB
#Mexico #NativeAmericans #LandDefenders #megaprojects #colonialViolence -
How #Guatemala, #Mexico, and #Belize plan to protect 14 million acres of #Mayan #forest
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have announced plans to create a huge reserve of tropical forest spanning across the three countries. Pushing out criminal gangs and protecting the land from ranchers, miners and loggers won’t be easy.
Aug. 21, 2025
Excerpt: "One proposal from Mexico is the expansion of its '#PlantingLife' program, which offers landowners money to grow certain kinds of trees either for fruit or timber. The program has a $2 billion budget, Bárcena said.
"But the program, which dates to ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has faced criticism. In 2021, the World Resources Institute reported that it had actually incentivized deforestation in Campeche state. Bárcena said the program is being adjusted to better meet environmental objectives.
"Mexican sustainability and climate action expert Juan Carlos Franco, who works in southern Mexico, said security is crucial and requires the government to act as 'guarantor.' But the work has to be carried out with civil society in the local communities, including in places where locals have found ways to coexist with the illegal activity surrounding them, he said." 'Communities oriented toward the #biocultural management of the territory can overcome despite the crime, that’s the most revealing message,' he said.
No #megaprojects"Another challenge will be holding governments over the long term to commitments to forgo big projects that promise economic development but threaten #EnvironmentalDamage, such as Mexico’s tourist rail operation, the Maya Train, which Belize is interested in extending to its territory.
"Orantes, the Guatemala minister, said that Guatemalan President #BernardoArévalo would not allow megaprojects in the reserve because when access is opened in the forest it becomes difficult to control everything that follows.
"Arévalo recently declined to renew the contract of a #petroleum company that had been operating for 40 years in a Guatemalan reserve known as the #MayaBiosphere.
"Guatemala is making the largest land contribution to the reserve, encompassing 27 existing protected areas. Arévalo had already made clear that he would not run an extension of the Maya Train proposed by Mexico’s last president through protected areas.
"In Mexico, Bárcena noted that the 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) train line, which started running in late 2023 and goes in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, lies outside the new reserve’s territory.
She said her agency was working to alleviate some of the environmental impacts of the train line, in collaboration with companies operated by the Mexican Army, which built a large portion of the rail line and operates the train.
"To avoid destructive projects in the new reserve, the three governments agreed to create a council made up of environmental authorities, as well as an #Indigenous advisory council, Bárcena said. Any proposed projects in the reserve would have to pass through them."Archived version:
https://archive.ph/GyXR8#SolarPunkSunday #ProtectTheForest #IndigenousPeople #CommunityActivism
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In this Guardian "Long Read", natural-history writer Patrick Barkham travels along the massive construction site for the HS2 high-speed track between London and Birmingham.
The sheer scale of this project is hard to grasp --- I followed Barkham's account on satellite map images, and you can see the track site even when fully zoomed out, a yellow-brown scar cutting through England.
Barkham talks to affected residents, managers, campaigners. We see ruthlessness, we see unimaginable waste, we also see exemplary practices and occasional generosity. A nuanced, thoughtful piece that helps us make the connection between a mega-scale project and its impact on a local level. Very much worth reading.
And good photographs too, by The Guardian's Gill Mead.
#HS2 #UKTranport #Rail #MegaProjects #PatrickBarkham #JillMead
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Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator: Smashing Nuclear Fusion Records
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JG3TxB-plT8&si=OxlbbIkwrnzL9mC5#Megaprojects #Fusion #Tocamak #Stellarator #Science #physics #construction #Energy
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California High Speed Rail: Why This is So Hard. - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VseHQ68rJTk&ab_channel=Megaprojects
#Megaprojects #HSR #CalHSR #HighSpeedRail #California #Trains #PassengerRail #PassengerTrains -
A huge thank you the examination committee with the doctoral supervisors Dietmar Harhoff, Fabian Waldinger (Economics LMU Munich), and
Hanna Hottenrott
(TUM School of Management) 🙏#MegaProjects #DigitalPlatforms #Productivity #Inventors #FabLabs #Innovations #Patent #Grants
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Sorry for the delay in replying! Let’s be clear upfront: we can’t build a fully operational space elevator with today’s technology.
But history shows us that what seems impossible today can become reality tomorrow. When President John F. Kennedy set the goal of landing a man on the Moon in 1961, many thought it was a pipe dream. Yet less than a decade later, the Apollo program succeeded, proving that with determination, innovation, and investment, the impossible can be achieved. So, while ambitious, a space elevator is a plausible future project.
Trying to be as objective as I can, here’s a more nuanced take on feasibility — starting with economics. A space elevator would be expensive; estimates vary, but it’s safe to say it would be a multi-billion-dollar project. To put that in perspective: SoFi Stadium cost $4.9 billion, and the Apollo program cost about $203 billion (adjusted to 2015 dollars). Expert analyses estimate the cost of the first space elevator between $6 billion and $100 billion depending on design and infrastructure included. So financially, it’s ambitious but plausible, especially as a long-term infrastructure investment with transformative potential for space access and sustainable resource use.
The technical challenges are immense, but so are those of every large, unprecedented undertaking. Picture a tether anchored to a mobile ocean platform, gently swaying with the waves, while robotic climbers ascend and descend, carrying cargo and passengers to the stars.
Several organizations, including the International Space Elevator Consortium, are actively developing the technologies and infrastructure needed. While we’re far from the finish line, the potential benefits—significantly reduced launch costs, increased space access, and large-scale space-based solar power—are exciting.
A key technical hurdle is finding a material with sufficient tensile strength. Though it might sound counterintuitive, a space elevator is more like a suspension bridge to space than a giant tower. The concept evolved from building “bottom-up” to a “top-down” approach, where a geostationary satellite deploys a cable down to Earth. Currently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) are leading candidates for tether materials. For example, Shizuoka University in Japan is prototyping and testing high-tensile-strength materials in space. The key issues remain: producing suitable materials like carbon nanotubes at scale.
In conclusion, while we can’t build a fully operational space elevator today, overcoming the technical difficulties in the near future is possible. With continued advances in materials science, engineering, and technology, we may soon see the space elevator shift from futuristic fantasy to game-changing reality.
I’m no space engineering expert, so I welcome corrections and insights.
---References & Further Reading
- Edwards, Bradley C. “The Space Elevator.” https://nss.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2000-Space-Elevator-NIAC-phase1.pdf
- Gao, Tianrui. “The Feasibility Analysis of a Space Elevator.” https://ijetch.org/2024/IJET-V16N4-1290.pdf
- International Space Elevator Consortium — Annual Studies https://www.isec.org/studies/#ApexAnchorRecommended Videos
- Space Elevators: Strategies & Status — https://youtu.be/V0ju74IqW0A
- Clean Energy From Space? — https://youtu.be/iNqCAvL1T1Y
- Asteroid Mining — https://youtu.be/3-3DjxhGaUg
- Everyone is Wrong About Asteroid Mining — https://youtu.be/p3hlnL2JN8ECC: @cy @isecdotorg @sorceressofmathematics @goodmirek @tiotasram @Ifrauding @Elrick_Winter @tiotasram @davidtheeviloverlord
#SpaceElevator #FutureTech #SpaceExploration #Innovation #ScienceFiction #Engineering #SpaceTravel #CarbonNanotubes #UHMWPE #FeasibilityStudy #SpaceAccess #SustainableTech #SpaceResearch #SpaceEngineering
#SpaceTechnology #SpaceEconomics #SpaceInnovation #SpaceDevelopment
#megaprojects #SpaceTower #Megastructure -
China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power project, is more than just an engineering marvel—it's so massive that it has even affected Earth's rotation. Built on the Yangtze River, this colossal structure stands as one of the most remarkable human-made feats, showcasing the incredible scale of modern engineering.
#threegorgesdam #hydropower #engineeringmarvel #renewableenergy #china #earthrotation #yangtzeriver #megaprojects #sustainability #infrastructure
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@screwtape I wrote a dumb thing after a friend asked me something about glaciers in the Sahara.
https://kaka.farm/posts/glaciers-in-the-sahara.html
#climatechange
#glaciers
#megaprojects
#sahara
#saharasea -
Report highlights disproportionate killings of #IndigenousEnvironmentalActivists
PBSNewshour, Nov 16, 2024
"Leaders at the United Nations’ #COP29 #CimateChange summit are being pressed this year to address the rising threats to #environmentalists and defenders of #HumanRights. Ali Rogin looks at the challenges facing these activists around the world and speaks with Laura Furones, a senior adviser at the environmental watchdog and advocacy group Global Witness, to learn more.
Watch / read transcript:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/report-highlights-disproportionate-killings-of-indigenous-environmental-activists#GlobalWitness #Phillipines #SouthAfrica #Malaysia #Colombia #Brazil #IndigenousActivists #MurderedActivists #LandDefenders #WaterProtectors #MegaInfrastructureProjects #Mining #Megaprojects #Deforestation #HumanRightsDefenders #ProtectTheForests #WaterIsLife
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Murders, #megaprojects and a ‘new Panama Canal’ in Mexico
#Activists suspect murders of 15 #Indigenous community members are linked to their opposition to a proposed megaproject.
By Eoin Wilson
Published On 13 Jul 2020Mexico City, Mexico – "The murders bore all the hallmarks of drug cartel executions. Fifteen victims – all members of the Ikoots Indigenous community – had been beaten, shot, and their bodies burned in a field just outside Huazantlan del Rio, a village in the municipality of San Mateo del Mar in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, in late June. An as-yet-unknown number of people were also 'disappeared'.
"At first the local government, headed by Mayor Bernardino Ponce Hinojosa, blamed the killings on a shadowy figure and an unnamed organised-crime group. Officials also acknowledged intra-community grievances and political infighting, caused by dissatisfaction with municipal elections and tension over last October’s mayoral election, which Ponce Hinojosa won.
"San Mateo used to be governed by an Indigenous 'popular assembly', which made decisions by consensus and served on a one-year rotation. But in 2017, this changed to a ballot-based electoral approach, leading to tensions that increased after the mayor’s disputed 2019 win.
"The Ikoots, most of whom consider the popular assembly to be the legitimate source of authority in the region, allege that the vote was fraudulent. They also accuse the mayor and a local businessman of being complicit in the wave of violence, sources told Al Jazeera, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
"Meanwhile, a collective of 15 civil society and teachers’ organisations, the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE), has accused the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) – one of Mexico’s most violent and territorially-ambitious cartels – of committing the murders.
"The allegations came in the same week that the CJNG was accused of the attempted assassination of Mexico City’s chief of police in an ambush with heavy weapons in which three people were killed.
"Although CNTE gave no evidence to support its accusation, many in San Mateo believe the claims because the cartel had already been active in their Istmo region, which boasts a wealth of mineral resources and a strategic location.
"The Istmo (or Isthmus in English) spans the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz at the narrowest point between the Pacific and the Atlantic. It is the site of the controversial 'Interoceanic' or 'Transistmico' corridor project, initiated by the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and opposed by many Indigenous communities."
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/7/13/murders-megaprojects-and-a-new-panama-canal-in-mexico
#Ikoots #IndigenousActivists #MegaInfrastructureProjects #CarbonIntensive #MegaCorridors #SDGs #CIIT #GulfOfMexico #IMFLoanSharks #SacrificeZones #CulturalGenocide #CulturalErasism #EnvironmentalDegradation #EnvironmentalDamage #Capitalism #CorporateColonialism #IndigenousPeoples #CulturalSurvival #Oaxaca #Veracruz #IndigenousCulture #ExtractiveIndustries #InteroceanicCorridor #TransistmicoCorridor #Istmo #IsthmusOfTehuantepec #Tehuntepec