Industry: Technology
Practices: Microsoft aims to be carbon negative by 2030 and to reduce water
use by replenishing more than it consumes. Its data centers are designed to
reduce water and energy consumption significantly, and the company is focused
on shifting toward sustainable hardware production and recycling practices.
Ferananda
Ibarra:
“Neither of you are going to go anywhere if we
don’t fundamentally change one thing – the structure of money.”
Aksinya
Staar: "A
song reminds us we have rhythm, a poem sharpens our inner clarity, a
painting reflects our inner world, and a reasonable word calls us back
to civility and connection. These are not distractions from life - they
are life. Without them, we drift into a hollow, reactive existence,
devoid of reflection or imagination."
Hardy
Schloer: "The human brain links and processes
huge amounts of data every second of every day. To do this, it uses
neurons that learn, calculate, and communicate independently but are
constantly interacting, creating intelligent information.
Mathijs
van Zutphen: "Everything I do is about learning
and creativity. Learning comes in two distinct flavors: learning what
is already known, and learning what is not yet known (discovery and
invention). I am all about the second kind of learning, where creativity
and imagination are key."
Hindou
Oumarou Ibrahim:
"For centuries, indigenous peoples have protected the environment,
which provides them food, medicine and so much more. Now it's time to
protect their unique traditional knowledge that can bring concrete solution
to implement sustainable development goals and fight climate change."
The Future Now Shows with
live audience
“Wildlife-positive Pastoralism:
a solution for a biodiverse, productive world?”
with Patrick Worms & Patrick Crehan
Thursday, June 26, 5 pm – 6 pm Central European time
The Global HUB Opening Event
focuses on the concept of polymathy and its relevance in addressing
complex modern challenges, with discussions on the impact of AI and
technology on society and human intelligence. Participants explored
the need for a post-human Renaissance, emphasising the importance of
recognising human complexity and interconnectedness with nature. The
conversation concludes with reflections on the potential of the younger
generation to address current issues and the value of diverse perspectives
in navigating the future.
“…a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention…”
- Herbert A. Simon
“There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Data Deluge
I remember a kind of magic about those early Club of Amsterdam meetings,
which spilled over into the 2005 Summit for The Future. Difficult to
say what it was exactly, which is why I use the word magic. There were
many things good about it. Great locations, frontline subjects, high
quality experts, and a simple format that allowed for lot’s of
room for interaction. There was a sense of freedom that welcomes ideas.
Perspectives, interests, and agendas from the world of business, education,
industry, art, would come together and connect, sometimes uniting, sometimes
clashing. The meetings were frequented by representatives from cultures
and nations from all over the world. You’d alway end up with some
new interesting connection.
In spite of the at times spicy arguments, there was a spirit of respect
for the differences between our perspectives and opinions, that was
felt by all. The meetings could be somewhat chaotic at times, but always
carried this shared vibe. This functioned as a welcome antidote to some
of the cynicism of our time. We need all those different perspectives
to make sense of our complex world, but seem unable to integrate them
back into a whole picture. We argue and discuss, debate and infuriate,
and end up distrustful and isolated. We have never had access to more
information, and have never seen such an explosion of misunderstanding.
We think this predicament is a sign of modern times. It feels uncomfortable
to live in this state, but it’s not new. People have understood
this problem since the dawn of time.
One of the oldest stories in the world is the parable of the Six Blind
Sages and the Elephant. Its origins are hidden far away in prehistory,
the first transcripts are found in the foundational texts of the oldest
Buddhist school, the Theravada; their Udanas (“inspired utterances”)
contain the oldest source. These were recorded in the fifth century
BC, around the time Gautama Siddhartha himself was alive. Most of us
become familiar with this story at some point in our lives. It manifests
in hundreds of incarnations, inside other stories, paraphrased, mutated,
reduced to a single metaphor, but always true to its essential meaning.
The story goes something like this.
Six blind sages are informed
that an elephant has come to their village. The sages are curious
as to the nature of this hitherto unknown entity, this titanic beast.
The six blind sages are invited to investigate its nature, so that
they may for themselves establish what this creature is. They surround
the elephant. Each chooses their own position. One of them is positioned
at the trunk. To him the beast seems obviously like a snake, long
and flexible. One is positioned at the ear. In his mind it is a fan,
large and thin, so that it can move the air. One is positioned at
one of the legs. To him the entire thing is like a pillar or a tree,
wide, sturdy and tall. One of the sages touches the side of the elephant.
It resembles a wall, he claims. Rough and impenetrable. One is positioned
at the tail. He makes it to be a rope, loosely hanging in front of
him . One is positioned at one of the tusks. To him it is a spear,
sharp, hard as rock. They agree on nothing, and cannot fathom the
mystery.
This story is old, and is
told in many different places in different ways. In some versions the
argument about the true nature of the beast remains unresolved. In other
versions, a seeing man is introduced, who teaches the six blind men
that they are all both right and wrong. All of their observations are
accurate, and describe reality, and all of them are incomplete, capturing
only a small part of the whole truth.
Their predicament is that their argument over ostensible differences
are valid, each correct from their own point of view. Indisputably so.
The problem is they cannot see the whole thing. If they could only understand
the limits of their own perspective, and the validity of other ones,
they could discover the truth. But they are unwilling to accept the
perspective that is out of reach to them. How much this parable resonates
with us today still. A problem posed but not resolved, which you might
say is typical of philosophy.
On Dialogue
David Bohm was a soft spoken Pennsylvanian of Jewish Hungarian descent.
Born in 1917 he had moved to the University of California at Berkeley
as one of Oppenheimer’s graduate students right before World War
II. The story of his career in physics is extraordinary. Oppenheimer
considered him a valuable resource in the soon to be initiated Manhattan
project, but Bohm’s student day involvement with left wing and
pacifist organizations made him suspect. General Leslie Groves derailed
his required security clearing. So Bohm spent the war years finishing
his thesis, instead of building the bomb. In one of a series of what
may be called circumstantial tragedies, the content of his dissertation
on the scattering of particles after collisions proved very useful to
the Los Alamos Black Project researchers. Upon first reading, it was
classified Top Secret, and since Bohm had been refused security clearance,
the text became instantly inaccessible to him. Bohm had written something
he was not allowed to himself read. This caused obvious complications
for the defense of his thesis, and so the acquisition of his doctorate
title. It was illegal now for him to know what he knew. Oppenheimer
had to step in to ensure his graduation.
All serious mature scientific disciplines require a textbook. The new
quantum theory had matured, proving its credentials as a serious science
through the complete destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Einstein
asked Bohm to write a textbook for Princeton undergraduates about the
new quantum science. Bohm did. In it he suggested a radical re-interpretation
of the whole framework of physics. A whole new view on the concept of
order in the Universe. He writes in chapter 8.
“The Indivisible Unity of the World.
We now come to the third important modification in our fundamental concepts
brought about by the quantum theory; namely that the world cannot be
analyzed correctly into distinct parts; instead, it must be regarded
as an indivisible unit in which separate parts appear as valid approximations
only in the classical limit.”
David Bohm, Quantum Theory (1951)
The Schrödinger wave function, at the foundation of quantum mechanics,
is a linear function. One of the things this means (mathematically)
is that you can just add different ones together with a “+”
sign. You can think of the total summation of all the wave functions
of all the particles in the universe, and see that it is mathematically
straightforward to define. That equation solves the paradoxes produced,
and some think inherent, to quantum mechanics. Seen as one great united
interconnected totality, an absolute wholeness, the Universe makes total
sense. This view was worked out by Bohm and his student Yakir Aharonov
and is known as the Bohm-Arahonov interpretation of quantum mechanics,
it is also called Pilot Wave Theory (for short). It’s an interpretation
of quantum mechanics, so there is not more and certainly not less truth
in it than in other interpretations (like the standard Copenhagen one).
Physics, in Bohm’s interpretation, now describes the Universe as
a super complex interplay of vibrations, like the closing chord of a
symphony, when all sounds combine into a single all penetrating harmonic
resonance. This view has a number of consequences. As soon as two (quantum)
systems interact and begin influencing one another, a new entity emerges,
the wave function of the conjoining of the two. Out of these premises
he developed a theory of physics. This underlying unity, exemplified
by the idea of a pilot wave, he called the Implicate order. The world
as it represents itself as separate entities, particles, each measurable
as such, their non-dentity determined by the difference in their measurements,
Bohm called the Explicate order. The unity of the world is concealed
in the implicate order. This unity becomes manifest in things like entangled
quantum states, and the implication that our Universe is driven by non-local
hidden variables.
We now know that we live in a non-local universe, quantum systems exist
in entangled states. The idea itself was proposed by Einstein and his
collaborators Podolsky and Rosen already in 1935 , but really as a reason
for rejecting quantum mechanics, by exposing one of its absurd consequences.
As something that could never be. But it has been shown to be undeniable.
It was proven mathematically by Scottish mathematician John Bell, in
1964, and the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics was rewarded for empirical
laboratory research that shows non-locality is a reality.
Bohm understood that, even though the everyday world is not the quantum
world, this influences how you can look at non-quantum processes like
human communication. Dialogue is the manifestation of connection and
unity. A dialogue is an expression of the Implicate order of things.
It is a flow of meaning between humans, transcending the individual
participants. Bohm exemplified his theory of dialogue in a series of
public meetings with philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, that took place
between 1965 and 1985. He walked his talk, and left a treasure trove
of dialogues on the edge of thought that speak of empathy and wisdom.
There is no recipe for creating a dialogue, no rule book or step wise
process. A dialogue has a distinct character, but there is not recipe
for creating a dialogue, no logical plan. A dialogue does not have a
well defined goal, the way a negotiation or a debate has. Its goal is
to create access maintain a process. The most important thing about
a dialogue exists always and only in the now. If there is a something
like a purpose it is for the participants to co-create and partake in
a communal flow of meaning. The experience of dialogue involves much
more than the words used. It involves feeling and intuition, and seeks
to create a unity between them. The flow has a direction, but not necessarily
an end point. No direct result is sought. At the same time, in a group
that shares enough trust, if at some point all perspectives have been
heard, through this process of spontaneous and unstructured flow, the
outcome may prove to be a problem resolved, an understanding gained,
or a decision reached. In a process with no predefined purpose, important
results may yet be achieved.
I was, at some point, well schooled in teaching techniques that structure
time around a subject, which can be done in many ways, but I developed
a distaste for them. These structures don’t actually serve the
goal. Learning, like creativity, is not produced by an algorhythm. It
emerges from the right circumstances.
My approach to facilitating these dialogues will be to bring to it the
right intention, and the right attention.
We have the unfortunate limitation that we cannot physically be in the
same room together. When we speak to each other in person there are
many levels at which signals are exchanged. On the visual level there
is body movement, on the molecular level there are pheromones, science
has established that our heart rate variability starts to synchronize
when people are close to each other. All of those corridors of signals
are lost when you communicate through a screen. I will miss that the
most, not being able to be physically together for a dialogue. Still,
it is possible to be present together, and share a sense of communion,
even if you are in different locations. I will be looking for signs
of that possibility, which will be part of what I called the right attention.
I am curious what sounds we may create.
Multidimensional: The Human
in a Posthuman World by Aksinya Staar
"We have made you a creature neither of heaven nor of earth,
neither mortal nor immortal, so that with freedom of choice and with
honor, as though the maker and molder of yourself, you may fashion yourself
in whatever shape you shall prefer.”
"Throughout my
life, many times I had to face people who told me: 'Focus on just one
thing.'" Then one day I replied: "If I must focus on one thing,
I will focus on myself."And
I am much more than just one thing."
Pablo A. Ruz Salmones, modern polymath
In an age where AI completes our sentences and global wildlife populations
have shrunk by 73 percent - vanishing like whispers in a fading forest
- I keep returning to a single, aching question: what does it mean to
be human now, in this moment of supercomplexity, acceleration, and unraveling
certainties? How did we arrive at such abundance, such towering
technological prowess, and such exquisite self-destruction?
To trace that arc, one must step back, far back, twelve thousand years
or more to the first spark-lit tools and star-etched dreams of Homo
sapiens. And from there, zoom forward to the last 500 years, an astonishing
acceleration that has redefined life itself.
It is the15th century and
the European Renaissance, with its cascading influence on science,
finance, and philosophy, marks a fault line in this long trajectory.
Important: it must be seen not as a solitary pinnacle, but as part of
a broader mosaic of global intellectual flourishing. While Florence
birthed humanist manifestos and da Vinci sketched the future into his
notebooks, brilliant minds in Timbuktu safeguarded astronomical manuscripts,
the scholars of the Ottoman Empire translated and transmitted ancient
Greek and Persian texts, and Chinese polymaths refined inventions like
printing, compasses, and paper long before their arrival in Europe.
In the courts of Mughal India, Persian poetry intertwined with Hindu
philosophy and sophisticated urban planning. These civilizations - interwoven
through trade routes, conquests, and silent whispers across deserts
and seas - contributed to the shared pool of human wisdom that would
ultimately nourish the Renaissance itself. Thus, to understand this
era fully is to acknowledge not a singular European rebirth, but a global
dialogue, a polyphonic awakening, shaped by exchanges far richer and
more entangled than the West often admits.
That radiant cultural awakening,
spanning the 14th to 17th centuries, is often celebrated as the birthplace
of modernity - not merely due to the blooming of art and science, but
because it reshaped our very conception of the self. Renaissance
humanism, rooted in the revival of classical wisdom and an unshakeable
belief in the dignity and potential of the individual (see the famous
quote by one of humanism’s masterminds, Pico
della Mirandola, at the beginning of this article), lit a
fire that would fuel the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and
eventually the digital age. It produced not only masterpieces of art,
but entire shifts in how knowledge was systematized, how time was valued,
how worth was measured. And towering above this shift stood the polymaths
- Leonardo, Galileo, Kepler, Bacon, Dürer, More, Erasmus - those
luminous minds who revealed the power of integration, synthesis, curiosity
without borders.
This Renaissance mindset,
nourished by a return ad fontes - "to the sources" - wove
together the fragmented strands of Greek, Roman, and Arabic thought
into a new intellectual fabric. It dethroned medieval fatalism, replacing
it with agency, empirical curiosity, and a sense that human creativity
could shape the world. The universities became crucibles of reform.
Patronage systems birthed artistic marvels. Civic ideals like Bruni’s
republicanism hinted at the democratic futures to come. But every golden
age casts shadows. The very same shift that unshackled the human imagination
also laid the groundwork for a mechanistic worldview - a world increasingly
defined not by inner life, but outer mastery.
The Industrial Revolution,
which followed like a thunderclap - sudden, loud, and awe-inspiring
- also crept in like a silent tide, subtly hollowing out the meanings
we once held dear, until this mastery of the outer world was refined
into machinery that began to shape our inner lives as well. The human
being, once celebrated as a divine spark, became a cog. Efficiency replaced
meaning. We ceased to think of ourselves as miraculous contradictions
and began to treat ourselves as units of labor, of productivity, of
function. And thus began the long forgetting.
Interestingly, we kept calling
it humanism, even as it evolved into modern secular humanism.
Why? Because the word “human” is comforting. Familiar. It
reassures us, even as the ground beneath us shifts. We use it as an
ethical talisman, a guarantee of empathy, a moral compass. But I dare
ask: what does it still mean? To be human is not merely to breathe,
to reason, to create - it is to dwell inside contradictions, to weep
over extinct birds we’ve never seen, to feel kinship with a star.
When I used to call myself a humanist, it was in homage to this trembling,
expansive potential. But over time, I began to sense that something
was off-kilter. The very core of humanism - the centering of the
human as the crown of creation - began to feel brittle, insufficient.
Because by placing the human
at the center, we forgot Life - with a capital L. We decentered
the forest, the river, the wind. We ignored the intelligence of mycelium
networks and whale songs, sidelining them as background noise to the
great human opera. And now, as the oceans acidify, as insect populations
collapse, as we wage increasingly cruel wars in the century that was
supposed to be defined by peace and planetary stewardship - I wonder
if our foundational philosophies themselves are in crisis.
I have always been in love
with the luminous range of human capacities, enchanted by the beauty
and variety of human talent. Because, after all, where does it come
from? We were all polymathic once. As foragers, we tracked animals,
knew the stars, made tools, told stories, treated wounds, sensed the
weather, and read each other’s silences. Then came the Agricultural
Revolution with the division of labor, the narrowing. It turned into
the long sleep of specialization. And yet, somewhere inside us, the
polymathic impulse remained - part instinct, part memory, waiting to
be reawakened.
I became a researcher of polymathy,
ending up with two written books on the topic. Polymathy - the art of
mastering multiple disciplines deeply and weaving them together into
fresh, creative insights - is at its core about embracing complexity
and connection. In my research, I first turned my attention to those
we call polymaths - those who dare to bridge the arts and sciences,
technology and philosophy, bodily practices with literature… Those
with a wide-ranging breadth of knowledge and skills, yet also significant
depth in several domains. They are, in fact, multi-specialists (not
to be confused with generalists) - masters of several domains who synthesize
and merge knowledge into something new, constantly riding the wave of
innovation. People like Confucius, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Hypatia, Archimedes,
Cleopatra of Egypt, Cicero, Maimonides, Avicenna, Al-Biruni, William
Shakespeare, René Descartes, Isaac Newton, Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz, Alfred Nobel, Albert Einstein, Rabindranath Tagore, Winston
Churchill, Robert Oppenheimer, Charlie Chaplin, Alan Turing, Benoît
B. Mandelbrot, and Iain McGilchrist, just to name a few.
But then came a deeper
realization: each one of us is, inherently, a multidimensional being.
The term - multidimensional human - suggests something profoundly beautiful,
yet sorely absent from our bureaucratic, industrial-age categories.
The 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman captured this truth beautifully
when he declared, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” But
today, those multitudes are flattened by job titles, passport numbers,
social roles. You are an engineer. A mother. A German. A diabetic. A
voter. An algorithmic ghost of yourself, reduced to data points in someone’s
cloud.
And now, in walks artificial
intelligence - not as an intruder, but as a mirror, a smooth, glinting
surface that does not merely reflect our brilliance and creativity but
also refracts our reductionism, echoing back both our symphonic imagination
and our fragmented, mechanistic tendencies. It gazes at us with algorithms
trained on our myths and our mistakes, forcing a confrontation - with
what we create and how we define ourselves. A shapeshifting, polymodal
presence that can brainstorm with us, co-write poetry, diagnose disease,
simulate emotion. It dazzles and unnerves, not just because of what
it does, but because it forces us to ask: are we still evolving, or
merely optimizing? If we continue to treat humans as one-dimensional
- a single function, a narrow role - we will not keep pace. Not
with AI, not with planetary collapse, not with the fluidity of tomorrow.
But this is not a matter of choice. We are already multidimensional.
We always were. What’s needed now is recognition.
But what does it even mean?
To be a multidimensional human
is to recognize the normality of having multiple professions
over a lifetime, a wide range of skills and interests, moving between
different communities, and befriending people with radically different
views.
But also - to be a multidimensional
human is not about juggling separate roles, but about living from the
inside out: integrating intellect, emotion, body, and spirit into a
coherent whole. It means recognizing how deeply we are shaped by - and
how we, in turn, shape - systems both personal and planetary, biological
and technological. A software engineer who plays jazz saxophone is not
merely eccentric; she is whole. A CEO who volunteers at a hospice, or
a farmer who paints in the evenings, aren’t outliers - they’re
closer to our original design. In this worldview, learning never ends,
roles evolve, and boundaries dissolve. To live as a multidimensional
human is to move fluidly across spaces - art and science, intuition
and data, past and future... This identity isn’t fixed; it emerges,
flows, contains contradictions, and thrives in paradox.
And here is where posthumanism
enters the stage. Posthumanism began to stir in the late 20th century
- quietly at first, then with growing urgency. Important - not to
be confused with transhumanism, which seeks to enhance and perfect
the human through technology. Posthumanism is something else entirely.
It isn’t about improvement, it’s about decentering. Stepping
out of the spotlight altogether. Its thinkers - Donna Haraway with her
Cyborg Manifesto, N. Katherine Hayles in How We Became Posthuman,
and later Rosi Braidotti - challenged the old Enlightenment tale of
the sovereign, rational individual. Instead, they spoke of entanglements.
Of blurred boundaries between humans, animals, machines, and ecosystems.
Of humility. Of interdependence. Posthumanism calls us to loosen our
grip on human exceptionalism and to ask: what if we are not the center,
but part of a web? What if “being human” was never a fixed
category, but a shifting relation?
At its heart, posthumanism
invites us to decenter the human - not to degrade ourselves,
but to remember we were never alone. We are part of a network: mycelial,
digital, microbial, ecological. We were shaped by the bacteria in our
guts long before AI began whispering back to us in human tones. The
soil under our feet is alive. The forest dreams in chemicals. Our bodies,
minds, and choices are braided into systems too complex for reduction.
While some speak of posthumanism
in terms of neural implants or cyborg futures, others draw from ecological
and Indigenous perspectives - seeing posthumanism as a return to relationality,
to kinship with land, water, and non-human intelligence. I find a more
fertile terrain in the merging of human consciousness with nature -
and in the ethical use of technology to enhance life, not dominate it.
We see signs already. People
using AI to brainstorm art, discover new cancer treatments, or personalize
education. Elderly individuals extending their vitality with bioenhancements
or gene therapy - not to chase immortality, but to remain fully present,
fully alive. Are they transhuman fantasies or the extensions of care?
Statistics tell us that global
life expectancy has risen from 52 years in 1960 to over 73 today, while
rates of depression and ecological degradation have surged in parallel
- reminding us that longevity alone is no guarantee of well-being. Yet
many live longer without feeling more alive. Perhaps this is where a
posthuman, multidimensional ethic must intervene - not to prolong life
as a statistic, but to enrich it as a symphony.
Imagine then, a re-enchanted
identity. A vision of humanity not as the apex predator or supreme
algorithmic engineer, but as one intelligent node in a vast, trembling
web of Life. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote, “The
purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.”
What if that “defeat” is not an end, but a softening? A yielding
to the complexity we are part of?
The multidimensional human,
in dialogue with posthumanist insight, becomes a way to both honor our
Renaissance past and step into a future that is less about mastery,
more about belonging. A mother who is a migrant, a gamer, a healer,
and an activist is not switching identities - she is inhabiting the
new subjectivity: fluid, hybrid, embodied. A farmer using soil sensors
is not a cyborg, but part of a new ritual between data and earth. And
AI? It’s not a threat - it’s a mirror, asking us to become
more fully ourselves.
Posthumanism doesn’t
destroy the human - it extends it, reframing our complexity. It
insists we are not gods, nor ghosts, but beings-in-relation. And in
this view, Life - complex, fragile, emergent - becomes the center again.
Not just human life. All of it.
So perhaps we have come full
circle. From the Renaissance dream of boundless human potential to a
deeper dream - of humans remembering they were never alone.
Of rediscovering our own complexity
not as a burden, but a birthright.
Of becoming a consious part
of this interwoven, multidimensional world.
When
building Indigenous infrastructure, build relationally, like beavers
by Andrew
Wiebe, PhD Student, Information, University of Toronto
Andrew Wiebe
We can learn a lot from beaver dams - according to both Indigenous oral
history and NASA researchers. Here a beaver nibbles on a small branch
near his dam. Mark Ma/Unsplash,
CC
BYAndrew
Wiebe, University
of Toronto
This fall, the Ontario government announced a
$34-million investment plan to address internet access in some hard-to-reach
communities in southwestern Ontario. In Ontario, 39
per cent of First Nations do not have access to high-speed internet.
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) will subsidize the
project.
So, how can investments like the one in Ontario
be envisioned with ethical and equitable infrastructure?
Indigenous ownership
Based on my preliminary research on data and archive
infrastructure, I propose a couple of ways. For one, the ownership
of the project should be shifted to Indigenous Peoples.
In this way, the power dynamic is reversed. Instead
of being given permission to use a platform where their data is controlled
by outsiders, Indigenous people would invite others to share in digital
spaces.
Another way to augment this is to learn from Indigenous
storytelling and lean into the wisdom of the natural world. To envision
how we build, I propose a methodology inspired by beavers in Indigenous
storytelling. Specifically, I propose that we consider the building
of beaver dams as a starting point for creating and sustaining Indigenous
spaces.
Both situate the beaver dam as an ethical bridge
between worlds. They also describe the beaver dam as a site of protest.
It is one in which Indigenous thinkers and dreamers build their own
sustainable and ethical infrastructure.
Beavers and blockades
In these Indigenous stories, passing on the knowledge
to build the beaver dam to the next generation is a form of direct
action that is connected to the act of protest.
Blockades are metaphorical in these stories but
they are also literally blockades that Indigenous Peoples build during
protests to protect their lands and waters.
In this particular case, the blockade, or refusal,
is metaphorical and may include saying "no" to third-party
control of Internet infrastructure.
This relationship between beavers and the human
world is seen as an important part of maintaining harmony in Indigenous
communities. As Betasamosake Simpson says, harming the beaver harms
everyone in the community because the beaver brings water and life.
Bringing relational practices into design
This emphasis on working together and with nature
because everyone is interconnected is a relational practice I believe
can be applied to infrastructure, design and policy.
Returning to the story of rural internet in Ontario,
whoever builds the digital infrastructure has the power to impact
the communities that are gaining access to the internet - their human
rights access - through a third party.
This creates a challenge. I am stewarding online
spaces for Indigenous storytelling but the infrastructure of my projects
is owned by the University of Toronto, and access to it is at the
mercy of other third parties.
To properly work against such power structures,
organizations must understand the power dynamics within a community.
There are organizations in Ontario taking on the
metaphorical role of the beaver, such as the future Public
Library in Ottawa, Adisoke. This organization has Indigenous
partners embedded within its design, infrastructure and future.
Public libraries are potentially hubs for community
regeneration, as sites to honour human rights and provide access to
both information and internet. But this requires a commitment to long-term
funding.
Control and consent
With the Ontario provincial government subsidizing
third parties, there is an issue of ownership and control. Communities
are not given control of the infrastructure intended to regenerate
community.
This is not to say SWIFT or the companies building
this infrastructure are actively engaging in bad faith, but the power
dynamics obfuscate the infrastructure and how it will relate to the
community.
On the surface, it looks like the $34 million
is going to subsidize projects to profit from remote areas without
having to invest directly.
But, ultimately, for these projects to be successfully
integrated, these First Nations communities need to be involved in
the building of it: using a model that emulates the beaver dam and
includes mutual consent between all parties.
However, I am optimistic. Re-envisioning how we
engage in building infrastructure as a relational practice, we can
build like beavers and aim for structural regeneration and sustainable
digital infrastructure in the community's hands.
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is a tradable real world asset (RWA) representing verified, fractional
gold in the ground,
that stays in the ground. No mining, no runoff, no destruction.
Just real gold, preserved in place, working for you,
our future generations, and the planet. RealGold
is the beginning of a basket of asset backed currencies deployed
in holochain. It’s our version of Real World Assets. RealGold
is creating a financial model and legal frames to protect the biosphere
and activate community wealth!
They explore the idea of separating land into its mineral, biological,
and social states, and the potential of creating a decentralized
financial infrastructure to protect natural resources. The conversation
includes a discussion on the potential of a legal structure that
could make mining difficult, and the possibility of a cryptocurrency
backed by gold as a potential solution in case of a financial system
collapse.
Moderator
Credits
Ferananda Ibarra
Designing Systems for Interdependence.
Financial and economies that affirm life,
biodiversity & community aliveness.
Collective Intelligence
Hawaii, United States
Is
water the new oil for the Democratic Republic of Congo? by
Rophi
M. Nzuzi, Youth Segment Product Manager at Vodacom Congo (RDC) S.A
In the 20th century, oil shaped geopolitics,
wealth, and power. In the 21st century, water may well take its place.
As climate change accelerates and global populations soar, water security
is emerging as one of the most critical issues of our time.
Few countries are better positioned to capitalize on this shift than
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), home to over 50% of Africa’s
freshwater reserves.
With the right strategy, vision, and partnerships, water could become
DRC’s most strategic asset, and could become its new oil.
The DRC’s untapped freshwater potential
The DRC boasts immense water resources. The Congo river, the second
largest in the world by discharge, flows through its heart. The country
has over 20,000 kilometers of rivers and thousands of lakes, including
lake Tanganyika, lake Albert, and lake Edward. Its aquifers are vast,
and annual rainfall is abundant, particularly in the equatorial regions.
Yet, paradoxically, only around 26% of Congolese households have access
to safe drinking water.
This disconnect between abundance and access stems from decades of underinvestment,
fragile infrastructure, and institutional fragmentation. However, this
untapped potential presents not only a development challenge but also
an unprecedented economic opportunity.
Water scarcity in the horn of Africa
and beyond: an emerging export market
While the DRC has water in surplus, the horn of Africa faces chronic
shortages. Countries like Somalia, Djibouti, and parts of Ethiopia are
battling prolonged droughts, affecting agriculture, urban supply, and
public health. In Kenya, water rationing in cities like Nairobi has
become routine. Water trucking is common, expensive, and inefficient.
Source: NASA
Beyond the horn, North African countries (especially Egypt) grapple
with severe water stress, compounded by population growth and geopolitical
tensions over Nile Basin flows.
This presents a transformational opportunity: exporting water. Just
as oil-rich nations invested in pipelines and shipping routes, the DRC
can build water export corridors (pipelines and rail-tanker systems),
to deliver fresh water across borders.
Water could be sold to governments, humanitarian agencies, industrial
buyers, and even for bottling and resale in arid countries. Properly
structured, this could generate billions in long-term revenue while
reinforcing DRC’s geopolitical leverage on the continent.
Strategic water pipelines: from river to revenue
The concept of transnational water pipelines is no longer science fiction.
Countries like Israel have pioneered desalination and water transfer
projects. Australia has implemented large-scale pipelines to connect
inland drought-prone areas with coastal supplies.
In the DRC’s case, a phased water pipeline project could begin
with supply to neighboring countries like Rwanda, Uganda, and South
Sudan, then extend toward the horn of Africa.
Through strategic engineering and public-private partnerships, the DRC
could become Africa’s “blue artery.”
Export infrastructure could include:
Gravity-fed pipeline systems from the
Equateur and Ituri provinces
Water treatment hubs co-located with
energy generation plants
Mobile purification units for emergency
and humanitarian operations
Rail-based tanker transport systems
as interim solutions
Not only would this generate revenue, but
it would also allow DRC to influence regional water diplomacy and build
stronger trade and security ties with its neighbors.
Domestic first: improving water access in the DRC
Before DRC can export water, it must ensure water equity at home. Expanding
access to clean water will reduce waterborne diseases, boost productivity,
and lower child mortality. It is also critical to national unity and
internal stability.
A coordinated domestic water strategy should include:
Community-scale purification systems
Solar-powered borehole pumps in rural
areas
Decentralized rainwater harvesting
Public-private partnerships for urban
distribution
Rehabilitation of colonial-era water
infrastructure
The DRC could create a “National
Water Development Fund” financed by a small share of future
water exports, concessional loans, and climate resilience grants. Ensuring
universal water access is not just a moral imperative, but rather the
foundation for industrialization and long-term development.
The Équateur opportunity: building
a data center hub around water
One of the most overlooked use-cases for water in the global digital
economy is in the cooling systems of data centers. Hyperscale data centers,
serving cloud computing giants and AI infrastructures, consume massive
amounts of energy and water. In hot and dry regions, this can be a major
limitation.
The Province of Équateur, with its equatorial microclimate, abundant
water, and vast land, could become Africa’s most promising data
infrastructure zone. Rather than compete with over-saturated and arid
hubs like Nairobi or Johannesburg, DRC could offer a new model: water-cooled,
green-powered, high-security data centers for the AI and cloud revolution.
What Data Centers Need:
Cooling: Up to 5 million liters of water
per day for a single hyperscale center
Energy: Stable, renewable sources like
hydro from Inga or solar-battery hybrids
Security: Geopolitically neutral ground,
ideal for African and Global South clients
Land & Scalability: Équateur
offers both in abundance
By leveraging its water wealth and positioning
itself as a “green digital oasis”, the DRC could attract
long-term FDI from global tech firms seeking both ESG compliance and
cost efficiency.
Strategic partnerships with tech and infrastructure giants
The data center vision cannot be built in isolation. DRC must seek alliances
with American, European, and Asian tech companies. Meta, Amazon Web
Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud. They all are seeking new locations
for data sovereignty, latency reduction, and AI model training at scale.
American support for Africell’s entry into the DRC is a signal
of broader strategic interest. Leveraging this connection, DRC can make
the case for deeper U.S. involvement in digital infrastructure, particularly
through initiatives like Prosper Africa or the U.S. International Development
Finance Corporation (DFC).
A powerful narrative can be built:
Water for cooling
Hydro for power
Land for expansion
Labor for growth
Africa for impact
Incentivizing co-investment in both water
infrastructure and data centers through special economic zones (SEZs),
tax breaks, and sovereign guarantees could unlock billions in capital.
A Pan-African vision: water pipelines for data center cities in deserts
The long-term vision extends beyond DRC. With proper investment, Congolese
water could help enable hyperscale data infrastructure in regions currently
seen as impossible, such as desert zones of North Africa and the Sahel.
Egypt is already positioning itself as a digital hub, but water scarcity
limits data center expansion.
Imagine Congolese water flowing via pipelines to Egyptian or Libyan
data zones, where solar power is abundant but cooling is a constraint.
A pan-African data backbone, powered by water, cooled by rivers, and
driven by partnerships, would redefine Africa’s place in the global
tech order.
Likewise, the Gulf of Guinea, Sahel, and Indian Ocean coastlines could
host regional AI clusters if connected to reliable water sources for
data center operations. The DRC, with its hydrological dominance, can
be the enabler of this vision.
Economic benefits and regional impact
Realizing this strategy could yield:
Revenue diversification beyond minerals
and hydrocarbons
Massive job creation in construction,
tech, logistics, and maintenance
Rural development through decentralized
water access
Export earnings from water, digital
services, and power
Geopolitical leverage as a water and
data infrastructure hub
Climate resilience funding through global
green finance mechanisms
The province of Équateur could become
a national showcase: from neglected hinterland to the beating heart
of a digital-green future, driven by water.
Conclusion: a liquid future
As the world faces droughts, climate instability, and digital expansion,
water is emerging as a new source of power, literally and metaphorically.
For the Democratic Republic of Congo, water is more than a resource.
It is leverage. It is security. It is opportunity.
But to unlock it, the country must act boldly. That means investing
in internal water equity, building strategic partnerships, exporting
value, instead of just volume, and daring to imagine a future where
Congolese rivers cool Africa’s digital infrastructure.
Is water the new oil for the DRC?
Perhaps it is more. It is the lifeblood of a new kind of prosperity
: one that can flow across borders, sectors, and generations.
Rophi M. Nzuzi is a
strategy and management consultant, co-founder of BCEGP Invest, and
active Microfinance investor, as well as general business investor in
Africa.
Passionate about Africa and Asia, and currently working in a leading
telco, contributing to growth through Segment Management.
Proven track record in commercial strategy, innovation, and business
development.
Focused on strategic partnerships, scalable impact, and transformative
ventures across sectors and countries.
Sun-Ways’ solar installations have
the potential to transform energy production for rail networks and electric
mobility. By integrating photovoltaics into the railway ecosystem, we
can directly power trains with renewable energy, but also power charging
stations for electric vehicles, while reducing CO2 emissions and increasing
the energy independence of a country’s entire public transport
system.
Thanks to its patented technology, our system integrates renewable energy
production into railway infrastructures. Due to its flexibility and
adaptability, our device makes it possible to easily install and remove
all or part of a solar power plant placed between the rails of a railway
track. Ultimately, our solution will be able to take advantage of the
current development of power electronics in the field of linear photovoltaics
for the injection of the electricity produced into the train traction
network and thus create a railway Smart Hub. In addition, the system
has no visual or environmental impact, making it a sustainable and consensual
energy solution.
Integrating photovoltaics into the railway sector is not easy, as the
sector is highly regulated. However, a pragmatic technical development
strategy based on taking into account the constraints related to railway
maintenance and operation from the outset has allowed us to arrive at
a technology that meets these expectations. We are therefore working
closely with industry players to align our technology with the most
demanding infrastructure standards and safety regulations. The pilot
project, which will cover 100 metres of track, is the first important
step towards full integration into larger railway networks, with the
possibility of extending it nationally and internationally.
Respyre's combination of a bioreceptive
concrete cladding and a specialised moss gel makes it easy to create
green facades. This circular concrete mixture makes any facade receptive
to natural moss growth. In addition, the moss gel allows for the moss
growth to be controlled and quick, allowing freedom and flexibility
within nature-inclusive city design.
A moss facade is a combination of two techniques. First we apply our
bioreceptive concrete to a vertical surface, which allows for the correct
growing conditions for mosses. This can be done in renovation or a new
building. To this concrete layer we add our moss coating with our mosses
and their nutrition. This will eventually grow to a beautiful green
wall.
Moss acts like a tiny, natural air filter. It does this by catching
dust, dirt, and other small particles from the air with its leaves.
When rain falls, it washes these particles away, cleaning the air. Moss
also absorbs carbon dioxide (a gas that too much of can be bad for our
planet) and releases oxygen, which is good for us to breathe. So, moss
helps clean the air by trapping the bad stuff and adding good stuff!
Respyre focuses on using waste material in its products. Executions
of the product contain 85% recycled materials and can increase to 90-95%
in the coming year, significantly reducing the use of new natural material
and the emissions of greenhouse gasses such as CO2. Additionally, over
its lifetime the facades can absorb the CO2 that is emitted through
carbonisation within the concrete.
The History of Gold takes you on a fascinating journey through time,
uncovering the deep connections between gold and the evolution of human
civilization. This eBook isn’t just a chronicle of a precious metal;
it’s a story about how gold has shaped our societies, influenced
global economies, and left an indelible mark on our culture and beliefs.
From the first gold tools used by ancient
humans to the glittering treasures of Egypt’s pharaohs, this eBook
explores how gold became a symbol of power, wealth, and even divine
favor. You’ll dive into the dramatic stories of gold’s role
in the rise and fall of empires, from the riches of the Roman Empire
to the legendary wealth of African kingdoms like Mali. As you turn the
pages, you’ll discover how the pursuit of gold drove explorers
across oceans, fueled the brutal conquests of the New World, and played
a crucial role in the development of modern economies.
In more recent history, The History of
Gold sheds light on the gold standard’s influence on global finance,
the environmental and human costs of gold mining, and how gold remains
a vital part of modern technology and investment. Whether you’re
passionate about history, fascinated by economics, or simply curious
about the allure of gold, this eBook offers a compelling and personal
look at why gold continues to captivate us. It’s a treasure trove
of stories, insights, and revelations that will deepen your understanding
of gold’s timeless appeal.
MIT’s
Sun-Powered Invention Could End the Global Water Crisis byThe
Forge Empire
A groundbreaking solar-powered desalination device developed by MIT
and Shanghai researchers may change the way the world accesses clean
water. Using no electricity, no moving parts, and generating zero toxic
waste, this compact system can produce up to six liters of drinking
water per hour - straight from the sea. Designed for water-stressed
regions like Kiribati and scalable for global use, it mimics ocean circulation
to prevent salt buildup and runs entirely on sunlight. In a time of
climate extremes and growing droughts, this invention could be the key
to sustainable, affordable water for millions. Discover how it works
and why it matters.
The status of bridges globally is a major
concern for infrastructure resilience, safety, and climate adaptation.
Here's a concise overview of the current situation, future projections
(5, 10, and 20 years), and the solutions needed to address emerging
challenges.
Global Bridge Infrastructure
– Status Now (2025)
Current Snapshot
Aging Infrastructure: In
developed countries like the US, Germany, and Japan, many bridges
are 50–100+ years old.
Structural Deficiencies:
US: Over 42,000 bridges are
considered structurally deficient (ASCE).
EU: Many bridges were built
during the post-WWII boom and are nearing end-of-life.
Innovative Bridge Design
Insights: Pioneering the Future of Connectivity
by Civilex
Discover the world of Innovative Bridge
Design in this captivating video. From towering cable-stayed marvels
like the Millau Viaduct to the dynamic Gateshead Millennium Bridge,
explore how architectural innovation merges with engineering prowess.
Learn about seismic-resistant suspension bridges like the Akashi Kaikyo
Bridge and adaptable structures such as Tower Bridge. Delve into the
future with 3D-printed bridges, showcasing the limitless potential of
technology. Join us on this journey where bridges transcend their utilitarian
purpose, becoming iconic symbols of human achievement and creativity.
Viaduc de Millau - Longest
Cable-stayed Bridge in the World | Génie Français
by Space and science
The documentary about Viaduc de Millau gives impressive insights into
the planning and construction of the mega bridge in France. Viaduc de
Millau reaches a weight of 290,000 tons and a length of 2460 meters.
This makes the bridge the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
15 MOST IMPRESSIVE Bridges
in the World
by Top Fives
Bridges serve as vital transportation
links but can also be magnificent feats of engineering, art, and architecture.
These bridges showcase the beauty and ingenuity of human design. So
join us for today’s video, as we countdown the top 15 most cool
bridges from around the world!
Top 15 Incredible Smart
Bridges
by Top Fives
Bridges have always been feats of engineering, but smart bridges take
innovation to the next level with advanced technology and cutting-edge
design. Join us for today’s video, as we count down the top 15
most incredible smart bridges!
Top 10 Biggest Bridges In Africa!
by Mega Projects
Africa is teemed up with small and big bridges. They play a key role
in stabilizing the countries' economies, and today we're here to discuss
the biggest bridges of Africa
History of the Birchenough
Bridge in Chipinge, Zimbabwe
by Zim Tech Guy
In this video i share the
history of the Birchenough Bridge in Chipinge, Zimbabwe, the bridge
was built with funds from the Beit Trust, when the Birchenough Bridge
was constructed it was the third largest single arch suspension bridge
in the world only surpassed by the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia
and the Bayonne Bridge in the United States.
Next Level Bridge Construction
| Mega Projects | FD Engineering
by Free Documentary - Engineering
Since the ancient times, rivers, valleys
and gulfs have been the biggest barriers to road accessibility, and
the final solution is to build bridges. Bridge construction is always
the most difficult of all in road network construction, and is the most
technically challenging. Currently, China ranks first tier of the world
in terms of bridge construction. In this documentary, we select the
most typical bridges around China based on their technical content,
engineering level and contribution to regional economy.
China Is Building the World's
Highest Bridge
by MegaBuilds
Suspended 625m above the Huajiang Grand Canyon, China is building the
World’s Highest Bridge: The Huajiang Bridge!
A Sharp 90° Turn at
Sea! How China Built Brunei’s First Sea Bridge!
by China Project Hub
In this video, we explore the groundbreaking construction of Brunei’s
first maritime bridge, the Palomar Bridge, and how China’s engineering
expertise has reshaped the country's infrastructure landscape. This
pioneering project, spanning 5.9 kilometers, not only represents an
engineering marvel with its innovative design but also serves as a crucial
component in Brunei’s efforts to diversify its economy and modernize
its transportation infrastructure. From overcoming challenging swampy
terrain to utilizing cutting-edge design techniques, the Palomar Bridge
is a testament to China’s growing influence in global infrastructure
projects.
Join us as we dive deep into
the bridge's construction, its strategic importance for Brunei, and
the collaboration between Chinese companies and local enterprises. This
project is a significant milestone in the region, showcasing how international
partnerships can deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions to complex
engineering challenges.
Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon
Glass Bridge - World Highest and Longest Glass Bridge
by Singapore City Walks
Join me for a walk on the amazing Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge
- the highest and longest glass bridge in the world. It straddles 2
cliffs of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. An engineering feat by the Chinese.
Chenab Bridge | How a
Modern Engineering Marvel was Built?
by Sabin Civil Engineering
The engineering secrets behind
the Chenab bridge - the tallest rail bridge in the world in this video.
Exploring the Bamboo Bridge
Near Pai | Stunning Nature & Unique Local Craftsmanship
by Travel the World
Join us as we explore the beautiful bamboo bridge near Pai, Thailand!
This charming, handcrafted bridge showcases traditional local craftsmanship
and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding nature. Perfect for
travelers seeking an off-the-beaten-path experience, the bamboo bridge
is a peaceful spot to connect with rural life and enjoy Pai’s serene
landscape.
All you need to know about
the Pamban rail bridge
by The Hindu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate
the newly constructed Pamban bridge on April 6, 2025. It will replace
a 110-year-old structure that once connected Rameswaram to the Indian
mainland.
The idea of linking India
and Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, through the Adam’s Bridge route was
first explored in 1876. However, the plan was shelved due to high costs.
Eventually, a more feasible plan was approved in 1906: a railway line
from Madurai to Dhanushkodi via Rameswaram, and a steamer service from
Dhanushkodi to Sri Lanka.
The Pamban bridge, India’s
first sea bridge, was an engineering marvel of its time. Standing 12.5
meters above sea level, it stretched across 145 piers and featured a
double-leaf bascule span - a Scherzer rolling lift bridge - that opened
for ships to pass through.
This innovative design was
patented by American engineer William Scherzer and built by Head Wrightson
& Co. of the U.K. The project cost ?70 lakh and took just over two
years to be completed. The bridge was officially inaugurated on February
24, 1914, by Neville Priestley of the South Indian Railway Company.
Passengers could travel by train to Dhanushkodi, and then by steamer
to Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka.
In 1964, disaster struck.
A devastating cyclone hit Dhanushkodi, a bustling town which boasted
of having the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean as its boundaries.
The cyclone swept away the entire town and a train with reportedly 115
passengers on board. Huts were blown away, and only the tales of sorrow,
misery and bravery of the survivors remained.
In the following days, the
task of reconstructing the Pamban bridge was given to a young engineer
E. Sreedharan, now popularly known as the ‘Metro man’. He
completed the repair works in just six months.
Until 1988, the Pamban bridge
was Rameswaram’s only surface link. Then came a road bridge which
was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
After over a century of service,
the old railway sea bridge was decommissioned in 2022 due to structural
instability and corrosion. Construction began in 2019, led by Rail Vikas
Nigam Ltd. Covid-19 disruptions, rough seas and design modifications
delayed progress, but the work was finally completed in November 2024.
The new Pamban bridge, built
at a cost of 535 crore, marks a new chapter in Indian railway infrastructure.
The $6.4BN Bridge Between
Canada & the US by MegaBuilds
The busiest segment of the US-Canada border is set to open a brand
new major crossing: The Gordie Howe International Bridge! Once completed,
it will connect the city of Detroit in Michigan to Windsor, Ontario,
providing uninterrupted traffic flow between Canada and the US.
10 Steepest Bridges in the US [2021]
by USA by numbers
Bridges are built to enhance
the beauty of a place along with to make the traveling phase easier.
Yet there are different types of bridges that can be seen. All credits
must go to the civil engineers who work day and night to get the perfect
model of everything. Different designs can be seen to make it look all
the more beautiful and eye-catching. There are numerous ones which are
pointed as the scariest bridges or the steepest bridges.
Pittsburgh: World’s
First Bridge Capital
by TDC
Pittsburgh, the City of Bridges, has a vast
infrastructure that needs constant maintenance. I interviewed Allegheny
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald to learn how it keeps up.
Future New York - Brooklyn
Bridge Renovation by Bjarke Ingels and ARUP
by Cities of the Future
Animals Use Special Bridge
to Cross Busy Highway
by NowThis
In 2018, Utah officials spent $5 million
building a special bridge for wildlife to cross a busy stretch of I-80
outside Salt Lake City. 2 years later, the Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources proudly shared a video showing a variety of wildlife making
use of the bridge, from moose to porcupine. UT DWR praised the overpass
as a victory for the safety of both animals & motorists.
360 VR 4K: Stunning 360°
view of the Rio-Niteroi Bridge, the longest in Latin America!
by Tripster Panda
Take a trip to one of the world's most beautiful
and exciting cities with this 360 VR car ride. Drive over the Ponte
Rio-Niteroi, the longest bridge in Latin America, and explore the amazing
Guanabara Bay from a whole new perspective. This is a must-watch VR
car ride for anyone visiting Rio de Janeiro!
Ancient Tradition Keeps Inca Bridge-Building
Alive
by The Wall Street Journal
High in the Peruvian Andes, several communities come together each June
to destroy and rebuild a bridge, in a practice that dates back to the
ancient Incans. Photo: Ryan Dube/The Wall Street Journal
Building the Longest Arctic
Bridge: The Hålogaland Suspension Marvel
by Blueprint
This episode follows an international team of engineers and construction
workers as they attempt to build the longest suspension bridge within
the Arctic Circle in Norway. The giant 276-million-pound Hålogaland
Bridge will cross the stunning Rombak Fjord, providing safer, faster
access to the north of the country from the busy industrial city of
Narvik.
The Bridge That Changed the Map of Europe
by B1M
We interviewed Lord Norman Foster about the Millau Viaduct, the tallest
bridge in the world.
Bjarke Ingels explains bridge shaped museum 'The Twist' in Norway
by DezignArk
A lecture by Bjarke Ingels, founding partner of Copenhagen, New York,
London and Barcelona - based Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
BIG is a Copenhagen, New York,
London and Barcelona based group of architects, designers, urbanists,
landscape professionals, interior and product designers, researchers
and inventors. The office is currently involved in a large number of
projects throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.
BIG’s architecture emerges out of a careful analysis of how contemporary
life constantly evolves and changes. Like a form of programmatic alchemy
we create architecture by mixing conventional ingredients such as living,
leisure, working, parking and shopping. By hitting the fertile overlap
between pragmatic and utopia, we architects once again find the freedom
to change the surface of our planet, to better fit contemporary life
forms.
Bjarke Ingels founded BIG
– Bjarke Ingels Group in 2005 after co-founding PLOT Architects
in 2001 and working at OMA in Rotterdam. Bjarke defines architecture
as the art and science of making sure our cities and buildings fit with
the way we want to live our lives. Through careful analysis of various
parameters from local culture and climate, ever-changing patterns of
contemporary life, to the ebbs and flows of the global economy, Bjarke
believes in the idea of information-driven-design as the driving force
for his design process. Named one of the 100 Most Influential People
in the World by TIME Magazine in 2016, Bjarke has designed and completed
award-winning buildings globally. Alongside his architectural practice,
Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University,
and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy
of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen. He is a frequent public
speaker and continues to hold lectures in venues such as TED, WIRED,
AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street, the World Economic Forum and many more.
My Top 12 Suspension Bridges Switzerland
Janosch Films
by JanosCH
TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL Bridges
That You Must See in Europe by Trend Notice
Bridges are necessary because they connect two coasts, two civilizations,
two regions, and two cities. They transport food, water, automobiles,
and people. Bridges throughout Europe can be works of art, and we've
compiled a list of the most gorgeous ones for you.
Bridges are a common feature of city design and infrastructure. Bridges,
while designed to connect two land masses separated by water, also connect
people, make transportation more convenient, and help communities grow.
Bridges are not only remarkable architectural accomplishments, but they
are also stunningly gorgeous and scenic.
Europe has some of the most stunning
bridges on the planet. That should come as no surprise, given how many
European cities have managed to retain their ancient beauty and architecture.
Their bridges are the same. In truth, there are a plethora of beautiful
and effective European bridges. Some, though, stand out from the crowd.
The Øresund Bridge: Connecting Sweden and Denmark
Megaprojects
Hindou
Oumarou Ibrahim
Chadian environmental activist and geographer
Hindou Oumarou is a member
of the Mbororo People of Chad, part of the FSC Indigenous Foundation
Council and an environmental and Indigenous Peoples activist.
She is the gender representative and Congo
Basin Region and Focal Point on Climate Change in the Indigenous Peoples
of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC).
She was recognized by BBC as a top 100
women leader and by TIME’s Women Leaders in Climate Change and
is a National Geographic Explorer.
"Ibrahim is an environmental activist working on behalf of her
people, the Mbororo in Chad. She was educated in Chad's capital city
of N'Djamena and spent her holidays with the indigenous Mbororo people,
who are traditionally nomadic farmers, herding and tending cattle. During
the course of her education, she became aware of the ways in which she
was discriminated against as an indigenous woman and also of the ways
in which her Mbororo counterparts were excluded from the educational
opportunities she received. So in 1999, she founded the Association
of Indigenous Peul Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), a community-based
organization focused on promoting the rights of girls and women in the
Mbororo community and inspiring leadership and advocacy in environmental
protection. The organization received its operating license in 2005
and has since participated in international negotiations on climate,
sustainable development, biodiversity, and environmental protection.
Her focus on environmental advocacy stemmed
from her firsthand experience of the effects of global climate change
on the Mbororo community, who rely on natural resources for their own
survival and for the survival of the animals they care for. For years,
they have been experiencing the effects of Lake Chad drying up; the
lake is a vital source of water for people from Chad, Cameroon, Niger
and Nigeria, and is now 10% of its size from the 1960s. In a written
testimony to the International Organization for Migration, Ibrahim emphasized
that her people, and indigenous communities like her own, are "direct
victims of climate change," which has worked to displace them,
forcing them to abandon their own lands in search of ones that can sustain
their way of life. In that testimony, she also spoke of the consequences
of climate change migration, which disproportionately leaves migrant
communities vulnerable." - Wikipedia
Mapping the future of Africa’s resources with Hindou Oumarou
Ibrahim
by Planet Hope
An ever-increasing world population and human advancement has offset
a complex balance on our natural resources, one which is damaging the
way many people live. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan
visits environmental advocate and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim who has experienced first-hand the effects of
climate change with Lake Chad drying up - changing the way the Mbororo
community had to live after relying on the water for their survival.
= ChatGPT
Andrew Wiebe
