The Line in the Sand

Rowan Moore points out that there are many reasons why reputable architects should not be involved in the design and creation Saudi Arabia's Neom project (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/23/saudi-mega-city-meant-to-blow-our-forget-crimes-of-its-rulers). Neom involves the creation of a 170 km long mega city (The Line), running from the Red Sea into the desert. The Line will, however, only be 200 m wide, with 500 m high external walls (sounds a bit like a prison?). The walls will be externally mirrored to reflect solar gain. That structure is intended to house 9 million people. There would be a number of sections but one end would be designed to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. Somewhat bizzarely, it's claimed that Neom's creation will be 'dedicated to the sanctity of all life on Earth'. Constructing The Line will, however, require enormous amounts of concrete and steel. Concrete production is one of the planet's biggest generators of the 'greenhouse gas' carbon dioxide (limestone is heated to very high temperatures). It's estimated that building The Line in the sand, will produce 1.8 bn tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is four times the entire annual emissions of the UK. Remember also, that this construction work will be funded by the extraordinary profits made by Saudi Arabia's extraction and sales of hydrocarbons. Neom's creation would be a giant boost for global heating. There's not much 'sanctity of all life on Earth' in that!