Saudi Arabia reveals design for £67BILLION megacity, built in the middle of the dessert

IBC World ^ | March 21, 2015 | IBC World

[Vince Ferrer]

The recent move to lower the price of oil is not just a short term move to cut oil production here. Saudi Arabia sees a lot of long term threats to oil, including renewables, and is furiously trying to both extend the era of high oil consumption, and accelerate the diversification of its own economy so that it can survive in a post oil world.

Saudi Arabia’s Plan to Extend the Age of Oil

[Crazieman]

I hope it’s a tasty dessert.

[Vince Ferrer]

Oops, I should have realized there are no editors on the internet anymore.

[2banana]

A mega city in the middle of the desert. No water, no farms, no manufacturing, no mines, just everyone with an office job.

What could go wrong?

[SampleMan]

Diversifying into what?

[Rebelbase]

Isn’t one Abu Dhabi enough?

[Publius]

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert
Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains.
Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

-- Percy Bysshe Shelley

[therightliveswithus]

Yum. Cake

[Vince Ferrer]

Diversifying into what?

They want to copy the Dubai model. Dubai has no real resources, but became a financial powerhouse in the Arab world. They are going to try to build a manufacturing and finance industry.

[Vince Ferrer]

Isn’t one Abu Dhabi enough?

If it is, then they are out of luck. They have no water, and when no one wants their oil, they will disappear if they can't find something else to do. They can probably plaster the whole peninsula with solar panels and sell the electricity.

[clintonh8r]

In the middle of dessert? Sweet!

[NormsRevenge]

I must confess that Red Sea sunsets are purty cool.

[dforest]

I ahtr Arabs in the middle of my pie and coffee!

[dforest]

Hate, should have been, sorry

[SampleMan]

I don’t look at finance as diversifying. What happens to Dubai tomorrow if all the oil money stops?

Industry? They would have to import the workers, just like they do for construction.

[Secret Agent Man]

Some apropriate mixed metaphor of “he couldn’t have his cake and he didnt build that, and they didnt come,” or something like that.

[Candor7]

CHANGE OF PLANS!

Instead of a £67 BILLION Megacity, the Saudis are investing in a nuclear breeder reactor,200,000 high speed centrifuges, a 20 mile particle accelerator, a 200,000 Gigawatt nuclear power plant , rocketry facilities and an interplanetary laser generator.

Of course it ALL will be disguised as a £67 BILLION Megacity.

Alahu WACKbar!/S

[Lake Living]

Think I learned this as a kid in Bible school:

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the house on sand went splat!

The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
The wise man built his house upon the Rock,
And the house on the Rock stood firm!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

No butterflies...

[fhayek]

I can pretty much guaranty that this will be no gay-themed “KAEC”.