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Countries around the world have sunk aircraft like the Boeing 747 to boost diving tourism — here are 6 intentionally submerged planes

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Earth 300 ship is designed to be emission-free and powered by nuclear energy.</li><li>Aaron Olivera, CEO of Earth 300, wants to bring the "brightest and smartest" scientists aboard.</li><li>The ship is planned to set sail in 2025 with 160 scientists and 40 VIP guests.</li></ul><p>You can hitch a 10-day ride on a nuclear-powered, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/carbon-tax-climate-change-pollution-economy-us-biden-infrastructure-2021-3">emission-free</a> <keyword id="46655" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="yacht">yacht</keyword> for the price of $3 million, or take the trip for free if you're a lucky student or scientist selected to be on board to help study the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-deloitte-research-shows-pandemic-impacted-corporate-leaders-climate-change-2021-3">effects of climate change</a>.</p><p>The yacht, called the Earth 300, will be a global icon for <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="science">science</keyword>, according to the <a href="https://earth300.com/">website</a>. The current plan is for it to set sail in 2025 with 160 scientists on board from a variety of disciplines, 20 students, 165 staff, and 40 VIP guests who can pay $3 million for their ticket to ride along. </p><p>Aaron Olivera, chief executive officer of Earth 300, told Money FM he thought of the yacht and voyage in 2015, when he went scuba diving in the Maldives and saw the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coral-reefs-vanish-by-2100-before-and-after-photos-2020-2">dead coral</a>, killed by the over-acidification in the ocean.</p><p>He then came up with he idea to bring the "brightest and smartest" scientists aboard a new-age ship to work together to come up with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-crisis-biden-infrastructure-bill-green-new-deal-roads-bridges-2021-4">solutions to climate change</a>.  </p><p>The design of the ship, which will be powered by safe and sustainable <keyword id="51931" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="atomic-energy">atomic energy</keyword> from a Molten Salt Reactor, has 22 "cutting-edge" laboratories, with artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, real-time data processing, and the latest quantum computer, according to the website.</p><p>"It's state-of-the-art science at sea," Olivera said on Money FM on April 9. </p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/carnival-royal-caribbean-employees-make-pay-salary2020-12?r=bc-sub">Carnival and Royal Caribbean salaries revealed: From $32,000 to $383,000, here's how much the cruise industry's power players pay some of their employees</a></em></p><p>The vessel has a sleek look. It's 300 meters long, which is about three-and-a-third football fields, by 46 meters wide, translating to about one-and-a-half basketball courts, by 60 meters tall at its highest, or about the height of an 18-story building.</p><p>"It's a vessel that's got the overall size of a cruise ship but it's not a cruise ship; it's got the overall look of a <keyword id="577078" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="superyacht">superyacht</keyword>, but it's not a superyacht," Olivera said on the radio show. "It's got the technology to rival an aircraft carrier, but it's not an aircraft carrier. It's going to have the endurance and the exploration skills of an explorer vessel, but it's not an explorer vessel. It's all of those put together in one package."</p><div type="image" title="yacht2" height="1080" width="1440" msid="82053268" hostid="261"></div><p>Prior to founding Earth 300, Olivera was the president of Falcon Royal Yachts, helping to create two luxury megayachts designed by Porsche, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he worked at Corporate Grand, creating elite dining and entertainment experiences for the ultra-wealthy.</p><p>The CEO has "experiences in a myriad of industries, from training and development, to publishing, hospitality, retail and yachting," according to his bio on the Earth 300 website. </p><p>When asked why he decided to create a ship to be the vessel for studying <keyword id="6361617" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change">climate change</keyword>, Olivera said, "The oceans are the beating heart of the planet. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coral-reefs-great-barrier-reef-dying-from-bleaching-warming-2018-4">Without oceans</a> there can not be any life."</p><p>The proposal still has a ways to go, though.</p><p>Olivera has already funneled $5 million into the design, and European and South Korean shipyards are likely to carry out the construction, according to reporting from <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/369218?utm_source=feedly&amp;utm_medium=webfeedseeds">Entrepreneur</a>. The <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> site said the total cost of the ship would be about $500 million to $700 million, with some funding coming from private investors.</p><p>"The idea was to design an object that would be able to capture everybody's imaginations on a global scale," Olivera said on Money FM, adding that, "There's nothing like this."</p>

Tickets for this nuclear-powered superyacht will cost $3 million for VIPs and be free to scientists and students selected to help study climate change

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/dubai">Dubai</a> has the world's largest artificial island, Palm Jumeirah, which is shaped like a palm tree and adds close to 50 miles to the city's coastline.</span></li><li><span>The island is packed with luxury hotels, beachfront villas, and apartment buildings. I stayed at one such hotel on a recent visit to Dubai.</span></li><li><span>While I had seen many aerial photos of the island prior to visiting, they don't do justice to just how impressive and absurd a development Palm Jumeirah is. </span></li><li><span>The island is core to Dubai's strategy to become the top tourist destination in the world, but critics say construction has done severe environmental damage.</span></li></ul><p><span>Dubai is jam-packed with things that designed to be the biggest and most extravagant of the world  - the tallest building, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dubai-mall-worlds-second-largest-mall-2018-11">second-biggest mall</a>, the most luxurious hotel, and so on.</span></p><p><span>Perhaps no other project in the budding city more epitomizes this quest for absurd grandeur than the Palm Islands, an archipelago of artificial islands that extend off the Dubai coastline like the lair of a movie super-villain who just happens to really like the tropics.</span></p><p><span>When reading about Dubai over the years, the Palm Islands were inevitably one of the first things I learned about. They are so ridiculous an endeavor, so stereotypically what one might expect people with limitless money to do, that it defies comprehension. But they are there, and they are real, as I discovered on a recent trip to Dubai.</span></p><p><span>Due to an oversupply of hotels in Dubai right now, rooms at five-star hotels can be had for very cheap. So, on a recent trip, I booked a room for $180 at Dukes Dubai, a swanky beachfront hotel on Palm Jumeirah, the first completed palm island of three planned and the largest artificial island in the world. Construction began on the the other two, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, over a decade ago but is now on hold.</span></p><p><span><strong><em>Read More:</em></strong> <em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dubai-luxury-hotels-are-affordable-2018-11">If you've ever wanted to visit Dubai, there's likely never been a better time than right now. Here's why.</a></em></span></p><p><span>I'll be honest: I'm not usually impressed by things made big and extravagant for the sake of it. But, there's something impossible to deny about the hubris behind the Palm Jumeirah and, when you see it in person, it sticks with you, for better or for worse.</span></p><p><span>Most of the images of I've seen of the island are taken aerially or from space, so as show off the incredible detail of the palm-like structure. Those views don't do justice to the scale of the enterprise. </span></p><p><span>It hit me when I looked out of the window from my room at Dukes Dubai, which sits on the trunk of the island. </span><span>Here's what it looked like:</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>In person and up close, you can still see the palm tree-structure. It is jarring how unnatural it looks. The first time I saw it,  I did a double take. </span></p><p>Construction on the Palm Jumeirah began in 2001. It was constructed through a process of dredging up 3,257,212,970.389 cubic feet of sand from the Persian Gulf and then spraying it into place, adding nearly 50 miles to Dubai's coastline. GPS satellites were used to ensure the accuracy of the where the sand was sprayed to create the palm tree shape.</p><p>It is undeniably a monumental feat of engineering and modern technology.</p><p><span>Hotels line the trunk of the palm tree, while villas and homes sit on the sixteen fronds of the island. The first homes were handed over in 2006 and, at this point, the island is packed with hotels, apartment buildings, and construction. Nakheel, the government-owned developer behind the project, expects <a href="https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/dubai-palm1.htm">120,000 residents and workers and 20,000 tourists</a> on the island when it's all said and done.</span></p><p><span>All of that comes at an environmental price. Despite Nakheel's attempts to mitigate environmental damage, some researchers believe the construction of the islands has had drastic changes on local marine flora and fauna, coastal erosion, and wave patterns. Greenpeace <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/palmislandsimpact/environmental-impacts">called the islands a "visual scar</a>," clouding the once clear Arabian gulf with silt and burying coral reefs. In 2006, the World Wildlife Fund declared that the U.A.E. 's ecological footprint was the "highest in the world."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>In 2009, the New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/world/middleeast/12dubai.html?_r=1&amp;hp">reported that NASA satellites</a> had found that the Palm Jumeirah island was sinking at a rate of 0.20 inches per year, a claim<a href="http://www.arabianbusiness.com/575669-nakheel-palm-jumeirah-not-sinking"> that Nakheel denies is true</a>. T</span>he Environment Agency Abu Dhabi found that <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/uae/environment/climate-change-and-rising-seas-could-spell-disaster-for-uae-s-coastal-cities-1.671922">under its most severe climate change scenario</a>, nearly all of Dubai, including the Palm Islands, would be underwater due to rising sea levels.</p><p><span>But all of that is in the future. For now, Dubai is focused on its</span><span> <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/uae/dubai-plans-to-be-world-s-most-popular-tourist-destination-by-2025-1.776970">aim to be the most popular tourist destination</a> in the world by 2025.</span></p><p><span>Already, it is the fourth-most visited city in the world, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-visited-cities-in-the-world-2018-9">a projected 16.7 million visitors</a> this year, <a href="https://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/big-cities-big-business-bangkok-london-and-paris-lead-the-way-in-mastercards-2018-global-destination-cities-index/">according to Mastercard's Global Destination Cities Index</a>.</span></p><p><span>The Palm Jumeirah is a big part of the strategy to get there. One look at the structure, which is loaded with beachfront hotels from major brands like Atlantis, St. Regis, Sofitel, Langham, W, and Waldorf-Astoria makes clear why.</span></p>

I stayed at a hotel on Dubai's massive artificial island shaped like a palm tree and it's more surreal than any photos can show

<p><em>This article is part of "</em><a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-5g-wireless-technology-shaping-our-world-2023-7"><em><u>5G and Connectivity Playbook</u></em></a><em>," a series exploring some of our time's most important tech innovations.</em></p><p>Nestled next to a park and tucked inside an inlet, Wahoo Bay boasts a half-acre of glistening, shallow water in Pompano Beach, Florida, home to tropical fish and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/protecting-ocean-key-slowing-climate-crisis-2023-1">endangered seagrass</a>.</p><p>But below the surface, the mini marine sanctuary is also a test bed for underwater technology that may take researchers to literal new depths.</p><p>Seven years ago, Wahoo Bay started as a vision for a snorkel park, but COVID-19 delayed its development. That delay "was a bit of a silver lining for us because it got us thinking more about creating an educational environment," said Rob Wyre, the chairman of Shipwreck Park, the nonprofit behind the Wahoo Bay project. The Wahoo Bay team was introduced to scientists from different universities who saw the marine area as a place of the right size and depths and with the right protections to assess <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-ocean-health-aquaculture-plastics-coral-reefs-sustainablity-2024-3">new underwater technologies</a>.</p><p>IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to a network of connected devices and the technology that allows them to collect and share data. On land, this could look like a home security system sending an alert to your phone or a fitness tracker synced with an app that gives you real-time insights into your health. In the ocean, Underwater IoT could look like floating sensors, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-artificial-intelligence-autonomous-systems-help-shipping-sustainability-goals-2023-11">swarms of crewless vehicles</a>, or a tetherless, wireless robot. Interest in ocean IoT is increasing because of its potential scientific, military, commercial, and conservation applications.</p><p>While only about <a target="_blank" href="https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/ocean-exploration/">5% of the ocean has been explored</a>, experts anticipate that underwater IoT, which can collect and share data from uncharted waters, could expand our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marine-biodiscovery-could-unlock-answers-health-climate-crises-2023-7">understanding of the unknown</a> and unlock the future of ocean conservation.</p><div type="image" title="Arial image of Wahoo Bay in Florida." height="1144" width="1440" msid="110974104" hostid="261" sizebytes="284090"></div><h2><strong>Underwater IoT can be tricky</strong></h2><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iot-devices-security-concerns-5g-networks-2023-11">Existing wireless technologies</a> aren't much help underwater because of how they work. On land, IoT devices connect through communications technologies like Bluetooth and WiFi that use radio waves at specific frequencies to transfer information. But standard IoT technologies are ineffective in the ocean because radio signals weaken underwater. Ocean IoT often uses a different type of signal to communicate: acoustic signals or waves.</p><p>Waleed Akbar, a research assistant at the MIT Media Lab, said that while developing underwater IoT is challenging, it's necessary. "We know more about the far side of the moon than we know about the ocean," Akbar said.</p><p>Akbar said underwater IoT could do more than satisfy curiosity about what's below the water's surface. Because these devices can transmit data from unexplored areas, they could enable unprecedented <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6479338/">environmental monitoring</a>, such as measuring contaminants or observing coral reefs — providing information that's helpful in curbing the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-ocean-health-aquaculture-plastics-coral-reefs-sustainablity-2024-3">climate crisis</a>.</p><h2><strong>Using acoustic energy to power new projects</strong></h2><p>Akbar is part of an MIT <a target="_blank" href="https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/oceans-internet-of-things/overview/">research group</a> developing low-cost, low-power, batteryless IoT technologies to support underwater networks.</p><p>For example, the group invented a battery-free <a target="_blank" href="https://www.media.mit.edu/videos/sk-batt-free-wirless-cam-2022-09-27/?autoplay=true">wireless underwater camera</a> powered by acoustic energy — it converts mechanical energy from sound waves into electrical energy, and it uses sound waves to transmit data. The camera could support marine-life discovery, submarine surveillance, and underwater monitoring, among other endeavors.</p><p>"In the water, there's no central entity like a router you can connect to," Akbar said. "So what we have is a base station, and then sensors can communicate with that using acoustic signals."</p><p>But acoustic signaling has narrow bandwidth, long delays, and high costs. There's also the issue of energy consumption: Generally, preliminary underwater IoT devices have used batteries with limited capacity. Akbar told Business Insider that it's difficult to scale when technologies consume too much power.</p><p>"If you want to make sensors at a large scale, or you want to cover a large area like a chunk of the ocean, you want to make sure that these sensors are cost-effective," he said.</p><p>Researchers have been working on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926587/">underwater acoustic communication technologies</a> for over half a century. For example, in 1945, the US Navy developed an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nepa.navy.mil/Portals/20/Documents/Pacific%20Fleet/GOA/files/EIS/Final_EIS_2011/sections/GOA_FEIS_Appendix_H.pdf">underwater phone</a> that <a target="_blank" href="https://sites.dartmouth.edu/dujs/2012/03/11/the-underwater-propagation-of-sound-and-its-applications/">transmitted and received sound waves</a> instead of radio waves.</p><p>More recently, scientists and engineers have started to leverage this technology to make underwater IoT a reality.<strong> </strong>Early projects include autonomous underwater vehicles that can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/29/new-technologies-bring-marine-archaeology-treasures-to-light">spot ancient shipwrecks</a>, sensors that can help with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/6/2124">disaster forecasting</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mit.edu/~fadel/papers/VAB-paper.pdf">sensor networks</a> that can measure ocean temperatures.</p><p>Today's underwater technology is often hindered by limited battery life and tethers to ships on the surface. Dimitris Pados, a professor at Florida Atlantic University and the director of the Center for Connected Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence, said that to monitor and model the ocean with the granularity necessary to understand how <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-impacts-to-last-millennia-ipcc-report-2021-8">climate change is influencing it</a>, researchers need to access parts of the ocean that existing tech can't reach.</p><p>"It's a field that's catching people's attention," Akbar said. "The technology is developing, and there is a growing awareness that we need to know more about what is happening to the ocean."</p><h2><strong>A hotbed of ocean tech</strong></h2><p>In late May, Wahoo Bay <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/cityofpompanobeach/reel/C7m7gHEO5-d/">hosted its inaugural field trip</a>. Fourth graders, equipped with swim masks and pool noodles, splashed above bright-yellow porkfish and silver pinfish. For many, it was their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/underwater-sculpture-museum-grenada-photos-2024-1">first time snorkeling</a>. Pados said he expects Wahoo Bay will be home to many firsts and innovations.</p><p>Through a partnership with Florida Atlantic University, professors, students, and others can bring new underwater technologies to the site — and more projects are in the works.</p><div type="image" title="Underwater camera installed against a pole in the ocean floor" height="1218" width="1392" msid="110974106" hostid="261" sizebytes="99834"></div><p>Pados told BI the team had installed water- and weather-monitoring systems and was working on AI-assisted fish-identification software that relies on a self-cleaning 360-degree <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-efforts-to-make-fishing-more-sustainable-2023-8">underwater camera</a>.</p><p>More futuristic tech is in the pipeline, including an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/artificial-intelligence-thermal-camera-technology-ocean-navigation-2024-6">underwater GPS</a> and a school of AI robotic fish. "You can imagine that, as long as they can connect with each other, it will be like having a moving network of underwater sensors you can direct to wherever you want," Pados said. "If everything goes well, they'll get outside the bay and into the ocean."</p><p>Pados said that while Wahoo Bay is a testing ground, he and his team want to give visitors — whether they're elementary-school students on a field trip or curious Pompano Beach residents on a stroll — a firsthand look at the developing technology.</p><p>Wyre said he hopes that when young people see the tech that Pados and his colleagues are working on, they'll walk away with new ideas.</p><p>"We've got to support the scientists of tomorrow," Wyre said. "We hope that when students see what's going on in the water of Wahoo Bay, they'll be inspired."</p>

The ocean is still largely unexplored. Underwater tech could help illuminate its mysteries.

As winter approaches, India unveils a breathtaking tapestry of landscapes and experiences that beckon travellers seeking both adventure and serenity. From snow-capped mountains to sun-kissed beaches, the country offers a diverse array of destinations that come alive during the winter months. Here's a curated list of 10 famous destinations in India that promise a memorable winter getaway in 2023.<br /><br /><strong>1. Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir:<br /></strong>Nestled in the Pir Panjal range, Gulmarg transforms into a winter wonderland during the colder months. Famous for its pristine snow-covered landscapes, this hill station offers a paradise for skiing enthusiasts. The Gulmarg Gondola, one of the highest cable cars in the world, provides panoramic views of the snow-clad peaks.<br /><br /><strong>2. Manali, Himachal Pradesh:<br /></strong>Manali, surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains and lush valleys, is a perennial favorite for winter escapades. The Solang Valley becomes a hub for winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. Rohtang Pass, adorned with a white blanket of snow, offers spectacular vistas for those seeking a scenic adventure.<br /><br /><strong>3. Auli, Uttarakhand:<br /></strong>Auli, perched in the Garhwal Himalayas, is renowned for its pristine slopes and is often referred to as the 'Skiing Capital of India.' The winter months turn Auli into a skier's haven, with the Nanda Devi and Nar Parvat peaks forming a majestic backdrop. The Auli Artificial Lake adds to the charm, reflecting the snow-clad beauty of the surroundings.<br /><br /><strong>4. Rann of Kutch, Gujarat:<br /></strong>While the Rann of Kutch is famous for the vibrant Rann Utsav during winters, it is also a surreal destination for those seeking a unique winter experience. The vast salt desert shimmers in the winter sun, creating an otherworldly landscape. Visitors can indulge in cultural festivities, desert safaris, and stargazing in this expansive white desert.<br /><br /><strong>5. Jaipur, Rajasthan:<br /></strong>Winter in Jaipur is a time of cultural festivities and pleasant weather, making it an ideal destination for history and architecture enthusiasts. Explore the magnificent Amber Fort, stroll through the colorful bazaars of the Pink City, and witness the grandeur of the City Palace. The Jaipur Literature Festival, held in January, adds an intellectual and artistic flavor to the city.<br /><br /><strong>6. Andaman and Nicobar Islands:<br /></strong>For those seeking a sun-soaked winter escape, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands offer a tropical paradise. The pristine beaches, vibrant coral reefs, and azure waters make it an ideal destination for water activities and relaxation. Havelock Island, known for its Radhanagar Beach, is a must-visit for its stunning sunsets.<br /><br /><strong>7. Darjeeling, West Bengal:<br /></strong>The hill town of Darjeeling, surrounded by the Eastern Himalayas, is a charming destination in winter. The cold weather enhances the appeal of attractions like the Tiger Hill, Batasia Loop, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. Sip on a cup of locally grown tea while enjoying panoramic views of snow-clad peaks.<br /><br /><strong>8. Kutch, Himachal Pradesh:<br /></strong>Often overshadowed by its more famous counterparts, Kutch in Himachal Pradesh is a hidden gem for winter travelers. With its tranquil ambiance, apple orchards, and snow-covered landscapes, Kutch offers a serene retreat. The Bhimakali Temple and the delightful town of Sarahan are worth exploring in thNote: The article is based on content generated by AI models like Bard and Chatgpt.is lesser-known winter destination.<br /><br /><strong>9. Goa:<br /></strong>While Goa is synonymous with sun and sand, the winter months offer a unique charm. The crowded beaches give way to a more relaxed atmosphere, and the temperature becomes pleasant for outdoor activities. Experience the vibrant nightlife, indulge in water sports, and savor the delicious seafood at beachside shacks without the usual tourist rush.<br /><br /><strong>10. Coorg, Karnataka:<br /></strong>Coorg, also known as the 'Scotland of India,' is a picturesque destination that comes alive during winter. The mist-covered hills, lush coffee plantations, and the aroma of eucalyptus in the air create a soothing retreat. Abbey Falls, Raja's Seat, and Talacauvery are among the attractions that showcase Coorg's natural beauty.<br /><br />Conclusion: Embark on a Winter Odyssey in India<br />From the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas to the sun-drenched beaches of Goa, India offers a diverse and enchanting array of destinations for <keyword id="15987061" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="winter-travels" source="Orion">winter travels</keyword> in 2023. Whether you seek the thrill of winter sports, the tranquility of misty hills, or the warmth of cultural festivities, these 10 destinations beckon with promises of unforgettable experiences. Embrace the winter magic, explore the diverse landscapes, and create cherished memories in the embrace of India's winter wonders.<br /><br />Note: The article is based on content generated by AI models like Bard and Chatgpt.<br />

10 must-visit destinations in India for winter travels 2023

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11893545" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="evergrande" source="Orion">Evergrande</keyword> was ordered to demolish 39 buildings on its man-made island.</li><li>The embattled <keyword id="11893295" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="real-estate" source="Orion">real estate</keyword> developer has poured nearly $13 billion into its Ocean Flower Island.</li></ul><p>Evergrande, an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/evergrandes-billionaire-boss-is-17-billion-poorer-this-year-2021-12">embattled Chinese real estate developer</a>, confirmed on Tuesday that it was ordered to tear down 39 buildings on its man-made island in China's southern Hainan province, according to a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fevergrande-is-told-to-tear-down-39-buildings-on-man-made-island-11641302183%23%3A~%3Atext%3DAuthorities%2520in%2520Danzhou%252C%2520a%2520city%2Cor%2520face%2520a%2520forced%2520demolition.">report from The Wall Street Journal.</a></p><p>Chinese authorities in the province have given the company 10 days to demolish the buildings, according to a notice that was obtained by The Journal and dated December 30. The developer has 60 days to file a potential appeal. The South China Morning Post <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3161985/evergrande-creditors-have-more-cause-concern-amid-reports?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article">cited media reports on Monday</a> that an illegally obtained permit had been revoked by the provincial government which required the buildings to be dismantled.</p><p>An Evergrande spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment and Insider could not reach Hainan provincial authorities for comment.</p><p>Over the past 12 years, Evergrande has invested nearly $13 billion into the artificial archipelago or group of <keyword id="12881851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="islands" source="Orion">islands</keyword> known as "Ocean Flower Island," The Journal reported. The potential demolition of its 39 buildings on the island represents one of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/evergrandes-billionaire-boss-is-17-billion-poorer-this-year-2021-12">many setbacks</a> that the world's most indebted developer has faced over the past year. Evergrande is currently struggling to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/evergrande-punishes-6-execs-who-cashed-early-on-investment-products-2021-10">repay over $300 billion in liabilities.</a></p><p>The cluster of man-made islands were designed to emulate the shape of a peony and made up of three flower-shaped islets. The center of the cluster was constructed as a major business and tourism hub.</p><div type="image" title="Ocean Flower Island" height="667" width="1000" msid="88698422" hostid="261"></div><p>The project was over a decade in the making and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/ocean-flower-island-is-set-to-open-late-2020/">opened in late 2020</a> as the world's largest man-made tourism island, spanning 1,980 acres. The Ocean Flower development is the largest project since Dubai <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Palm-Jumeirah">opened</a> its man-made archipelago, Palm Island, in 2009</p><div type="image" title="Palm Island" height="3417" width="5517" msid="88698424" hostid="261"></div><p>The Ocean Flower project encompasses houses and hotels, as well as business and tourist opportunities, including a roughly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAaXr4LTqx0">1.1 million square foot convention center</a> built to resemble giant blooming peonies.</p><div type="image" title="Ocean Flower Island" height="255" width="1024" msid="88698426" hostid="261"></div><p>Ocean Flower Island, also known as "Haihua" in Chinese, has attracted over 5.5 million tourists since it opened, according to China's stateside publication, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3162082/why-ocean-flower-island-dubbed-dubai-china-important-china-evergrande">South China Morning Post</a>. Last month, local Chinese government said the development was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/04/china-evergrande-demolition-hainan/">harming the marine environment</a>, including causing mass damage to coral reefs.</p><p>The center of the archipelago has 28 major business hubs.</p><div type="image" title="Ocean Flower Island" height="683" width="1024" msid="88698429" hostid="261"></div><p>The complex offers an array of museums, as well as several amusement parks, including a fairy-tale world and water park.</p><div type="image" title="Ocean Flower Island" height="667" width="1000" msid="88698430" hostid="261"></div><p>It also has several more relaxing options for tourists, including a botanical garden and hot springs. </p><div type="image" title="Ocean Flower Island" height="682" width="1024" msid="88698432" hostid="261"></div><p>While many of the tourist and business options are located at the center of the archipelago, housing makes up the outskirts of the structure. According to a 2019 construction plan from the Danzhou government that was obtained by South China Morning Post the maximum total population of the three islands was estimated at over 200,000.</p><p>The stateside publication <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3162082/why-ocean-flower-island-dubbed-dubai-china-important-china-evergrande">reported</a> that Evergrande told residents of the island where 60,567 apartments had been delivered to buyers that the demolition will not impact residential structures.</p>

Check out the man-made island where Evergrande was ordered to tear down 39 buildings

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Underwater photos are often blue-tinted because of the way light bends in water, obscuring the incredibly vibrant colors of ocean flora and fauna.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>Researchers Derya Akkaynak and Tali Trebitz created a color-correcting algorithm that reveals the true colors of corals, fish, and other marine life.</strong></li><li><strong>Akkaynak told Business Insider she hopes the technology can enable a new wave of artificial intelligence-driven image analysis, as AI has historically had trouble analyzing underwater images.</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Scientists have created a computer algorithm that can take an underwater photograph and automatically readjust its colors to compensate for the distorting effect of water on light.</p><p>Researchers Derya Akkaynak and Tali Trebitz started work on the technology - called <a href="https://www.deryaakkaynak.com/sea-thru">Sea-thru</a> - more than three years ago. Akkaynak told Business Insider via email that Sea-thru's mission is to enable huge, artificial intelligence-powered analysis of underwater images.</p><p>The algorithm effectively adjusts underwater images to make them look like they were taken in broad daylight, making them easier for AI software to analyze.</p><p>"On underwater images, AI methods generally perform poorly or inconsistently, because water degrades images too severely for automated analysis," she said.</p><p>This often means marine scientists have to manually pore through photographs to analyse what images they've captured, which can turn out to be a really gargantuan task.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>"It is not uncommon that they come back to the lab with hundreds to thousands from a single dive. Only a tiny fraction of those images ever get analyzed, because on average, it takes a human expert two hours to identify and count fish in a video that is one hour long," she said.</p><p>Trebitz, who established the University of Haifa's marine-imaging lab, added that the way light is distorted in water can be hard to notice when you're diving because the human brain adjusts to it.</p><p>"We are both avid divers, and when you dive the human brain amazingly compensates for the water effects. So there are situations where you dive and experience a tremendously rich and colorful environment, but when you look at the pictures you acquired after the dive they look dull and blue, and you know that there is more there than what is actually visible in the images," she said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>In 2015 while at the University of Haifa in Israel, Akkaynak realised discovered that scientists were using color-correction equations designed to be used in the atmosphere.</p><p>"Once I discovered that, I formulated a (more) physically accurate equation specifically for the ocean, and that equation (called the Akkaynak-Treibitz model) is the real breakthrough that led to the Sea-thru algorithm," she said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>Akkaynak tested the algorithm by placing color charts next to underwater objects. She then ran the photo through Sea-thru and was able to see if the chart had been altered back to its correct colors. The finished Sea-Thru product doesn't need color charts to function.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>Sea-thru could have a wide range of uses according to Akkaynak. "It takes away the need to carry artificial lights, which means less expense and gear to carry for many photographers," she said, adding that Sea-thru can reach further than most strobe lights, which illuminate about one meter ahead in water.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>"I see it as a module in Photoshop, integrated into consumer cameras, and even diving masks," she added.</p><p>Most importantly though, Akkaynak thinks Sea-thru could enable a new AI-driven wave of marine data analysis, even though Sea-thru itself doesn't use any AI.</p><p>"When these images (e.g. surveys of reefs, seafloor, fish stocks) are pre-processed with Sea-thru, scientists will then be able to use existing powerful computer vision and machine-learning methods to be able to count, identify, segment, and classify animals and other objects in them. This is why I see Sea-thru as the start of the AI boom in marine science," she said.</p><p>With modern science knowing more about the surface of the moon than it does about the depths of the ocean, Sea-thru could be the key to some extraordinary future scientific discoveries.</p>

Oceanographers created an algorithm that transforms underwater photos and reveals their amazing true colors

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Katie Canales/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">It's Google, trying not to be evil</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Hello! Here's what's happening on Friday.</p><p><strong>1. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heather-nauert-un-ambassador-position-trump-2018-11">US President Donald Trump reportedly asked Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman, to replace Nikki Haley as the US ambassador to the UN</a>. </strong>Nauert has also been rumored to top the president's list of potential replacements for the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.</p><p><strong>2. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/khashoggi-killing-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-reportedly-told-kushner-journalist-was-dangerous-islamist-2018-11">Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly told US officials that murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a "dangerous Islamist.</a>" </strong>The crown prince is widely suspected of orchestrating Khashoggi's killing.</p><p><strong>3. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brexit-campaign-donor-arron-banks-referred-to-national-crime-agency-2018-11">Brexit campaign funder Arron Banks was referred to the National Crime Agency for suspected offences in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum</a>. </strong>Banks is accused of concealing the true source of £8 million ($10.4 million) donated to the referendum campaign.</p><p><strong>4. <span><a href="https://www.apnews.com/bb247e998911419b896d6a524bacf19d">Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to cut taxes and for China's entrepreneurs</a>. </span></strong>Chinese tech stocks traded in the US also <a href="http://businessinsider.com/trump-xi-trade-talk-chinese-tech-stocks-soar-2018-11/">surged Thursday</a> after President Trump said he had a good trade talk with Xi.<span></span></p><p><strong>5. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-walkout-live-pictures-of-protesting-google-workers-2018-11">Google employees all over the world left their desk and walked out in protest over sexual misconduct</a>.</strong> It follows a bombshell <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/technology/google-sexual-harassment-andy-rubin.html">New York Times</a> report last week that named executives who had been accused of sexual misconduct.</p><p><strong>6. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-caravan-migrants-asylum-claims-2018-11">President Trump said he intends to sign an executive order to bar immigrants from seeking asylum in the US if they crossed the border illegally</a>. </strong>US law currently requires the government to allow immigrants to make asylum requests no matter how they crossed the border.</p><p><strong>7. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-google-amazon-join-list-companies-opposing-trump-admin-rollback-transgender-rights-2018-11">Apple, Google, and Amazon joined a list of over 50 companies opposing any government rollback of transgender rights</a>. </strong>The administration is proposing a legal definition of sex as male or female based on an individual's sex at birth, according to a<span> </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/21/us/politics/transgender-trump-administration-sex-definition.html">report by The New York Times</a>.</p><p><strong>8. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-investors-renew-calls-for-board-shakeup-after-sec-settlement-2018-11">Investors worth more than $700 billion are ramping up calls for a Tesla board shakeup</a>. </strong>Five of Tesla's eight directors reportedly have close ties to CEO Elon Musk despite meeting the legal requirements for independence.</p><p><strong>9. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ai-lie-detector-eu-airports-scli-intl/index.html">Passengers at some European airports may soon be questioned by artificial intelligence-powered lie detectors</a>. </strong>Travelers will reportedly be asked a series of questions by a virtual border guard and the AI system will monitor their facial expressions for truthfulness. </p><p><strong>10. <a href="https://www.apnews.com/34b5f38a569f4a3bbe733dfcbe825802">The Pacific nation of Palau will ban sunscreen to protect its coral reefs</a>. </strong>President Tommy Remengesau Jr. signed legislation that bans "reef-toxic" sunscreen from 2020, and will fine tourists and merchants for possession of the banned products. </p><p><strong>And finally ...</strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ignition">One ticket, two days, 50+ insightful speakers, and 600+ executives</a>.</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ignition">One ticket, two days, 50+ insightful speakers, and 600+ executives</a>. </strong>Business Insider's flagship IGNITION conference headliners include Mark Cuban, Janice Min, Sir Martin Sorrell and Barbara Corcoran. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ignition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Join us for IGNITION</a>, December 3-4, New York City.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scorpion-venom-most-expensive-liquid-in-the-world-2018-8">Scorpion venom is the most expensive liquid in the world - here's why it costs $39 million per gallon</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The 10 most important things in the world right now

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Researchers at <span>MIT's Self-Assembly Lab </span>have discovered a way to build "pop-up islands" by harnessing a wave's energy.</li><li>The lab's founder, <span> Skylar Tibbits, </span>recently debuted the technology at the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/ted">TED conference</a> in Vancouver, Canada.</li><li>Tibbits said the force of tsunamis and windstorms could eventually be used to build natural barriers that protect against <span>sea-level rise.</span></li><li><span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a> </span></li></ul><p>The earth's warming temperatures are already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ipcc-climate-change-report-why-2-degree-warming-is-dangerous-2018-10">leading to <span>catastrophic events</span></a> like earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and landslides. But there may be a way to channel these disasters to protect coastal communities.</p><p>A group of researchers at <a href="https://selfassemblylab.mit.edu/">MIT's Self-Assembly Lab</a><span> is exploring whether the strong ocean current caused by natural disasters could be harnes</span>sed to fight sea level rise.</p><p>Their first project uses the current to gather<span> s</span>mall sandbars - which could eventually become islands - i<span>n the Maldives, a group of low-lying islands that could soon find itself underwater due to rising sea levels.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/copenhagen-denmark-islands-silicon-valley-2019-1">Copenhagen wants to build 9 artificial islands to house 'the European Silicon Valley.' Take a look at the plan.</a></em></p><p><span>The process begins with installing underwater ramps, which the team describes as "low-cost, easy to deploy, and adaptable" to different climates. When a wave passes over the ramp with enough force, it brings sand particles along with it and drops them off below the ramp's edge. Over time, the sediment begins to accumulate and eventually forms a sandbar that peers above the ocean's surface.</span></p><p><span>Skylar Tibbits, the team's founder and a TED Fellow, recently presented these findings at the annual <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/ted">TED conference</a> in Vancouver, Canada. </span></p><p><span>A number of years ago, one of his thesis students suggested that mudslides and landslides could be used to build parks, and Tibbits has carried the idea with him ever since. </span><span>"It has always been on my mind that maybe we could take these natural disasters - earthquakes, tsunamis, windstorms, mudslides, landslides, fires - and build instead of destroy," he said. </span></p><p><span>His work is supported by Invenais, an organization based out of the Maldives that looks for technological solutions to problems in island communities. </span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p><span>In February 2019, the two organizations tested their first experiment in the Maldives, and will continue to monitor the growth of sand over the coming year. </span></p><p><span>Though Tibbits' project relies on the ocean current to build sandbars, the force of tsunamis or windstorms could help accelerate the process. This would give coastal areas a way to rebuild in the wake of disaster - or create a natural barrier that might ultimately ward off rising seas. </span><span>T</span><span>hat's especially good news for places like Hawaii, where Waikiki Beach <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hawaii-waikiki-beach-underwater-climate-change-honolulu-chris-lee-hb1487-a8880631.html">could be underwater</a> in the next 15 to 20 years.</span></p><p>The concept of a pop-up island created by wave energy is different than a floating city, which involves constructing artificial land masses, according to Tibbits. "We're more interested in how things build themselves," he said. </p><p>To turn a temporary sandbar into a permanent island, he said, communities would keep the <span>underwater ramps, which</span> mimic the topography of a coral reef and help anchor the sand. The installation of trees, shrubs, and other plants performs a similar function.</p><p><span>"There's a joke that the only difference between a sandbar and an island is a palm tree," Tibbits said. "The reason an island stays is because of vegetation."</span></p><p>Tibbits said the model could be preferable to "<span>static" infrastructure projects like the <a href="http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/our-work/all-proposals/finalist/blue-dunes--the-future-of-coastal-protection">Blue Dunes proposal</a>, which aims to protect the Mid-Atlantic coast from flooding and sea-level rise through the construction of artificial islands. That project would require dredging, or scooping up sand from the bottom of the ocean and depositing it somewhere else, which can be damaging to local ecosystems. </span></p><p><span>Tibbits said his concept is less invasive and expends less energy than traditional modes of land reclamation - but he still has to prove that the sandbars will form properly. </span></p><p><span>"This is going to be a very long-term project," he said. "But if we can get this to work, I think it's pretty powerful."</span></p>

MIT researchers figured out how to build 'pop-up islands' that could save places like Hawaii from disappearing underwater

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Screenshot/<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJc1OTsW1_k">www.youtube.com</a></span></p><p class="caption">An artists rendering of a VLSF</p></div><p></p></div></div>China's military wants the ability to create large modular artificial islands that can be repositioned around the world as necessary. And it's not as outlandish a goal as it might seem.</p><p><a href="http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=2973">According</a> to Navy Recognition, China's Jidong Development Group unveiled its first design for a Chinese-built Very Large Floating Structure (VLSFs) at its National <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Science and Technology Achievement exhibition in Beijing at the end of July. The structures are comprised of numerous smaller floating modules that can be assembled together at sea in order to create a larger floating platform. </p><p>VLSFs have a number of uses. The artificial islands can be used as fake islands for touristic purposes, or can also be constructed to function as piers, military bases, or even floating airports, Navy Recognition <a href="http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=2973">notes</a>. </p><p>But China's proposed VLSFs would have a purpose-built design that would allow the platforms to function as floating military bases. <a href="http://www.popsci.com/chinese-shipyard-looks-build-giant-floating-islands">According</a> to Popular Science, their modular Lego block-like design allows for the islands to be easily constructed far away from port. Additionally, the modular nature of the VLSFs ensure that the structures are highly compartmentalized. This ensures that the islands would be harder to sink as a large number of different modules would need to be damaged before a VLSF would become unseaworthy. </p><p>Popular Science also <a href="http://www.popsci.com/chinese-shipyard-looks-build-giant-floating-islands">notes</a> that a VLSF, if properly constructed, could hypothetically carry a significantly larger compliment of planes, aircraft, and supplies than a traditional aircraft carrier. A VSLF could also have a longer runway as well, meaning it could accommodate much larger aircraft, even if it would be far less mobile than a carrier. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.popsci.com/chinese-shipyard-looks-build-giant-floating-islands">che at lt.cjdby.net via Popular Science</a></span></p><p class="caption">An artists rendering of an VLSF</p></div><p></p></div></div>So far, China has yet to start construction on any VLSFs. But Beijing's official unveiling of the idea reflects the country's ongoing interest in high-end defense concepts, especially ones that could help project Chinese hard power into disputed maritime areas.</p><p>As China continues to try to expand its sphere of influence throughout Asia, particularly in the South China Sea, the idea of a moveable artificial island has obvious strategic appeal. </p><p>"[W]ith China showing a remarkable ability to rapidly convert coral reefs into military outposts, [VLSF'S] could be a particularly useful supplement to its anti-access, area-denial systems (A2/AD)," Jack Detsch <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/china-is-building-giant-floating-islands-in-the-south-china-sea/">writes</a> for The Diplomat. "The battle stations could also do more to offset Washington's tremendous basing advantages in the Asia-Pacific theater."</p><p>China's construction of VLSFs would follow Beijing's other, more advanced island-building project. China is rapidly dredging and constructing artificial islands on top of coral shoals and reefs throughout the South China Sea. So far, China has constructed over 1.5 square miles of artificial islands. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-to-project-power-from-artificial-islands-in-south-china-sea-2015-2">According</a><span> to Reuters, Beijing has completed advanced stages of construction for six different island reefs throughout the sea and has started work on a seventh island. </span></p><p>China's actions in the South China Sea risk escalating a series of territorial disputes. A number of neighboring countries claim the reefs, islands, and oil and gas deposits in the area: </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Mike Nudelman/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><span>Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines also have military bases within the South China Sea on islands that those countries control.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/joaquin-el-chapo-guzman-escaped-from-high-security-prison-in-mexico-2015-7">Here's how the world's most notorious drug lord escaped from his high-security prison cell</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Yycmw2djpOfyE5B5JbZhkaj7obSUsRoj" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

China wants to build giant floating islands in the South China Sea

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/geoengineering-how-to-reverse-climate-change-2019-4">Geoengineering</a> is the process of artificially altering Earth's natural cycles. Such technologies are increasingly being discussed as potential ways to address climate change.</li><li>Putting mirrors in space, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-gobal-warming-plan-carbon-capture-2018-10">capturing carbon dioxide</a> from the air, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/controlling-weather-in-future-2018-5">seeding clouds</a> with particles are all ways of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sets-aside-millions-to-control-the-rain-2016-7">manipulating weather</a> or the atmosphere.</li><li>But some scientists and politicians worry that a single nation could initiate a geoengineering project and damage the planet for the rest of us, which could even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-yang-thinks-geoengineering-could-lead-to-war-2019-4">lead to war</a>.</li><li>Other experts think leveraging this technology this could be the only way to limit Earth's warming.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Earth's temperatures are on track to blow past the objectives set in the Paris climate agreement. Last year was the fourth warmest on record for surface temperatures and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oceans-warming-faster-than-we-thought-2019-1">the hottest ever for oceans</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">A recent report</a> from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that nations around the globe must implement "rapid and far-reaching" changes in energy sources, infrastructure, industry, and transportation to avoid catastrophic consequences of climate change.</p><p>But some researchers are looking into another way to address dangerous warming: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/geoengineering-atmosphere-clouds-harvard-2018-4">hacking the climate</a><span>.</span></p><p><span>The technical term for this is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/geoengineering-how-to-reverse-climate-change-2019-4">geoengineering</a>, and the technology generally involves either capturing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it, or manipulating the atmosphere to help cool the Earth.</span></p><p><span><em><strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/geoengineering-how-to-reverse-climate-change-2019-4" data-analytics-position="16">We're altering the climate so severely that we'll soon face apocalyptic consequences. Here are 11 last-ditch ways we could hack the planet to reverse that trend.</a></em></span></p><p><span>The risk is that the effects of geoengineering in one corner of the world could lead to unintended consequences in another. </span></p><p><span>"The atmosphere has no walls," Andrea Flossmann, a weather-modification expert with <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/resources/bulletin/seeding-change-weather-modification-globally">the World Meteorological Organization</a>, said in a bulletin. "What you add may not have the desired effect in your vicinity, but by being transported along might have undesired effects elsewhere."</span></p><p><span>So if a rogue nation were to start a geoengineering project without international oversight or buy-in, some experts worry <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-yang-thinks-geoengineering-could-lead-to-war-2019-4">the unintended consequences could lead to war</a>.</span></p><h2><span>Geoengineering might be necessary, but it comes with geopolitical risks</span></h2><p>To limit the Earth's temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels - the Paris climate agreement's most ambitious goal - emissions of heat-trapping gas like carbon dioxide have to drop by 45% from 2010 levels in the next decade or so, according to the IPCC. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ipcc-climate-change-report-why-2-degree-warming-is-dangerous-2018-10">If that doesn't happen</a>, dry regions would be much more likely to experience severe drought, and areas prone to heat waves or hurricanes would get more of those disasters, too. Most coral reefs would die, and melting Arctic ice would cause sea levels to rise dramatically. These changes could trigger huge migrations of people and mass extinctions of animals.</p><p>But so far, the required emissions reductions are not happening. Worldwide carbon emissions from fossil fuels rose by 1.6% in 2017 and 2.7% last year, <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2018/12/new-global-co2-emissions-numbers-are-they-re-not-good">according to the World Resources Institute</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Stringer </span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"Climate change is getting worse," Ted Parson, an environmental law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Business Insider, "which is why it's necessary to talk about geoengineering right now."</p><p>Geoengineering can take many forms, some of which exist already. C<span>limeworks, a company that sucks carbon dioxide out of the air, </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/negative-emissions-carbon-capture-plant-climeworks-2017-10">opened its first commercial plant in Switzerland in 2017</a>. A <span>New York-based start-up, <a href="https://globalthermostat.com/a-unique-capture-process/">Global Thermostat</a>, uses carbon sponges to absorb CO2 directly from the atmosphere or smokestacks.</span></p><p>A more ambitious and untested option, though, is solar geoengineering, which would involve scattering sulfur particles as aerosols in the sky in order to reflect more sunlight back into space. This approach <span>has yet to be tested, but <a href="https://geoengineering.environment.harvard.edu/geoengineering">Harvard University's solar geoengineering research program</a> is currently researching how to disperse clouds of sulfur particles via <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/geoengineering-atmosphere-clouds-harvard-2018-4">small, steerable balloons</a>.</span></p><p><span> </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01606-0">Most models predict</a><span> that the effects of a project like this would be felt differently around the globe, and consequences could arise even in spots far from the rollout location. That means that if a country tries out this kind of geoengineering, its neighbors would almost certainly feel the effects - as could nations on the far side of the world.</span></p><p><span>"[Solar geoengineering] has geopolitical ramifications, unlike carbon capture," Juan Moreno-Cruz, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo who studies geoengineering, told Business Insider. </span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Steve Marcus</span></p><p class="caption">Heliostats reflect sunlight onto boilers in towers during the grand opening of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>For example, aerosol injections deployed in the southern hemisphere could impact ocean temperatures and wind speeds, leading to more hurricanes in the northern hemisphere. </p><p>In a worst-case scenario, this kind of geoengineering could leave Earth's atmospheric chemistry irreversibly altered. </p><p>"The side effects may be almost as bad as the disease you're trying to cure," author and environmental activist Bill McKibben <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/geoengineering-how-to-reverse-climate-change-2019-4#one-technology-that-manipulates-the-clouds-is-already-in-use-today-it-doesnt-really-address-climate-change-but-it-does-allow-us-to-make-it-rain-when-and-where-we-want-12">previously told Business Insider</a>. </p><h2>A 'rogue nation' could hack the climate single-handedly</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Stocktrek Images/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">A large presence of stratocumulus clouds above the northwestern Pacific Ocean.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Alan Robock, an environmental <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> professor at Rutgers and an expert on geoengineering,<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/geoengineering-atmosphere-clouds-harvard-2018-4">previously told Business Insider</a> that he's "<span>got a list of 27 reasons" we shouldn't attempt any large-scale planet hacking.</span></p><p>One major risk is that a reprobate country or even a private company could pull the trigger on an atmospheric-transformation project that affects the entire world.<span style="background-color: #ffff00;"></span></p><p><span>"There's always first movers, certain countries driving things," </span><span>David Keith, a professor of engineering and applied sciences at Harvard University, told Business Insider.</span></p><p>This is already happening on a smaller scale: Chinese, Russian, and US governments employ a form of atmospheric manipulation called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sets-aside-millions-to-control-the-rain-2016-7">cloud seeding</a>, in which silver ions are scattered into the atmosphere to make it rain. Beijing spent millions on such technology ahead of the 2008 Olympics. But this technology only triggers regional weather impacts, according to Parson.</p><p>In a recent debate about geoengineering hosted by <a href="https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/">Intelligence Squared</a>, Keith said he expects bigger geoengineering initiatives to be very much be on the table for some nations in the future.</p><p>"Some government - maybe China after a monsoon causes the crops to fail, maybe Indonesia after a heat wave kills 100,000 people, maybe the United States after a category 5 hurricane hits [New York City] head-on - will consider it," he said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZV2ANNAA&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1920&amp;RH=836#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZV2ANNAA&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1920&amp;RH=836&amp;POPUPPN=36&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1OL7THOQ">Reuters</a></span></p><p class="caption">India test fires a nuclear-capable missile in 2013.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>If there aren't international rules governing the geoengineering process and its consequences, some experts say, conflict could easily emerge.</p><p>"The threat of war never is out of the question," Moreno-Cruz said. </p><p>He added that the nations most likely to attempt geoengineering projects are also nuclear powers, which further complicates the picture.</p><h2>But is geoengineering really that scary?</h2><p>Some scientists like Keith think the threat of war, nuclear or otherwise, is overblown, since independent geoengineering would go against a country like India's self interest.</p><p>"They would want to be able to continue reducing their climate risks, and the best way to do that would be to collaborate with others, not go extremely rogue and then get shut down," he said.</p><p>Plus, he noted, any project that injects particles into atmosphere is finite unless the efforts are continuous - for solar geoengineering to work, planes would need to constantly spread aerosols.</p><p>"There aren't single interventions that change things forever," Parson said. "This isn't like Doctor Evil pulling great big handle in his island lair and that's it."</p><p>Parson is confident that if a single individual or company attempted a geoengineering project, it could easily be brought to a halt.</p><p>"Any megalomaniac, individual entrepreneur is a citizen of some country and their enterprises operate under the legal jurisdiction of that country," he said during the Intelligence Squared debate.</p><p>But although Parson thinks geoengineering might be the only way for the world to meet the Paris agreement goals, he emphasized that it should never be an alternative to cutting emissions. </p><p>"Managing climate change requires multiple strategies. Geoengineering in no way replaces or undoes the urgency of cutting emissions," he said.</p><p>Still, the once-fantastical idea of geoengineering seems to be entering the mainstream. Presidential candidate Andrew Yang is advocating for the technology, and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2015&amp;q=solar+geoengineering&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0,33">5,000 academic papers</a> about the methods and ramifications of solar geoengineering technology have <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2015&amp;q=solar+geoengineering&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0,33">been published since 2015</a>.</p><p>"Regular people, the policy elite, and environmental groups are taking this topic more seriously than 10 years ago," Keith said. "Let's examine it seriously, not put it in the crazy corner and forget about it."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-168-million-dollars-weather-controlling-technology-cloud-seeding-2017-2">China is spending $168 million on weather-controlling technology</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

A rogue country could take planet-hacking into its own hands to alter the climate - and some experts worry it could lead to war

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Rhetoric between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has escalated.</strong></li><li><strong>In response, North Korea's foreign minister reportedly suggested the nation may soon detonate the "most powerful" hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific.</strong></li><li><strong>No other details were provided, but at face value, this suggests the blast could be 1,000 times as powerful as the Hiroshima bombing.</strong></li><li><strong>Atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons can lead to multiple dangerous scenarios.</strong></li></ul><p>North Korea may be planning a one of the most powerful nuclear explosions in history.</p><p>Ring Yong Ho, the foreign minister of the isolated nation, reportedly told journalists that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is considering such a test blast.</p><p>"It could be the most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific," Ri told reporters at the United Nations in New York on Thursday, according to <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2017/09/22/0401000000AEN20170922004700315.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a story</a> by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. "We have no idea about what actions could be taken as it will be ordered by leader Kim Jong Un."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>The suggestion came in response to bellicose rhetoric exchanged between US President Donald Trump and Jong Un.<p>In <a href="http://time.com/4947942/trump-totally-destroy-threatens-north-korea-un-speech-transcript/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a speech</a> before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump called Jong Un a suicidal "rocket man" and threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if the US is "forced to defend itself or its allies." Jong Un <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-responds-to-trump-north-korea-un-2017-9">allegedly responded</a> with a written statement, in which he called Trump a "mentally deranged US <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-does-dotard-mean-2017-9">dotard</a>" and said that "a frightened dog barks louder."</p><p>Many experts have denounced Trump's speech, suggesting his words could provoke Jong Un to take dramatic action.</p><p>"Trump is basically creating audience costs for Kim to back down," <a href="http://www.miis.edu/about/newsroom/experts/jlewis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jeffrey Lewis</a>, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2017/9/20/16340392/trump-north-korea-unga-totally-destroy-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Vox</a>. "If you dare Kim, it creates pressure for him to respond with his own provocation."</p><p>North Korea has set off several <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-hydrogen-bomb-test-evidence-2017-9">powerful nuclear test blasts</a> in recent years, but they all occurred deep inside a mountain. A nuclear explosion in the air, on the ground, underwater, or in space has not happened in decades.</p><p>If the nation sets off an above-ground nuclear explosion - and the most powerful ever detonated in the Pacific - the Cold War's rich history of test blasts suggests what might happen.</p><h2>Why atmospheric nuclear tests are dangerous</h2><p>The US, Russia, China, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-weapons-stockpiles-world-map-2017-8">other countries</a> have set off more than 2,000 nuclear test blasts <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/animated-map-of-every-nuclear-bomb-explosion-ever-2016-6">since 1945</a>.</p><p>More than 500 of these explosions occurred on soil, in space, on barges, or underwater. But most of these happened early in the Cold War - before the&#xa0;risks to innocent people and the environment were well-understood. (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-test-ban-treaty-countries-2015-10">Nearly all countries</a> now ban nuclear testing.)</p><p>The problem with nuclear test explosions is that they create <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-survive-nuclear-attack-fallout-radiation-2017-6">radioactive fallout</a>. Space detonations come with their own risks, including a more widespread <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nukes-electromagnetic-pulse-electronics-2017-5">electromagnetic pulse</a>.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Only a fraction of a nuclear weapon's core is turned into energy during an explosion; the rest is irradiated, melted, and turned into fine particles. This creates a small amount of fallout that can be lofted into the atmosphere and spread around.<p>But the risk of fallout vastly increases close to the ground or water. There, a nuclear explosion can suck up dirt, debris, water, and other materials, creating many tons of radioactive fallout - and this material rises high into the atmosphere, where it drifts for hundreds of miles.</p><p>This kind of&#xa0;Cold War-era fallout killed scores of innocent people in the Pacific, including Japanese fishermen, and is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-explosion-fallout-cancer-health-effects-2017-8">still causing cancer and health problems around the world today</a>.</p><h2>Where and how big?</h2><p>Ri did not specify where or how high its hypothetical Pacific "H-bomb" test might occur. However, the foreign minister did reportedly suggest it could be the most powerful ever detonated in the Pacific.</p><p>If this is not a matter of imprecise wording, it would mean the hypothetical blast would exceed the US' strongest nuclear test ever.</p><p>On March 1, 1954, the US military set off the "Shrimp" thermonuclear device on a platform in the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands (about 2,300 miles southeast of Japan and 2,700 miles southwest of Hawaii).</p><p>This was part of the US military's Castle Bravo test series, and the blast was equivalent to exploding 15 million tons of TNT, or roughly 1,000 times as powerful the US attack on Hiroshima that inflicted some <a href="http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/cab/200708230009.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">150,000 casualties</a>.</p><p><br>While the military considered Shrimp and Bravo a success, its repercussions were disastrous. Researchers underestimated the device's explosive power by nearly three-fold - and many were nearly killed when an artificial earthquake shook their concrete observation bunker 20 miles away.</br></p><p>Author and film producer Eric Schlosser, writing in his book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Command-Control-Damascus-Accident-Illusion/dp/0143125788">Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety</a>", captures the raw power of the blast through the perspective of scientist Bernard O'Keefe:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"About ten seconds after Shrimp exploded, the underground bunker seemed to be moving. But that didn't make any sense. The concrete bunker was anchored to the island, and the walls were three feet thick.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"'Is this building moving or am I getting dizzy?' another scientist asked. 'My God, it is,' O'Keefe said. 'It's moving!'</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"O'Keefe began to feel nauseated, as though he were seasick, and held on to a workbench as objects slid around the room. The bunker was rolling and shaking, he later recalled, 'like it was resting on a bowl of jelly.' The shock wave from the explosion, traveling through the ground, had reached them faster than the blast wave passing through the air."</p><p>The scientists ultimately escaped alive, but Marshall Islanders located 100 miles from the blast were not so lucky.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Shrimp's four-mile-wide fireball vaporized about 200 billion tons of Bikini Atoll coral reef, turning much of it into radioactive fallout that spread all over the world. The worst of it sprinkled over atolls to the east, killing many people from radiation sickness.<p>Today, the 250-foot-deep, 1-mile-wide crater left by the blast is visible from space.</p><p>If North Korea decides to blow up a hydrogen or thermonuclear device - and the most powerful in the Pacific - we could only hope it is not close to the ground.</p><h2>Missile or no missile?</h2><p>All of these scenarios assume North Korea sets off a thermonuclear device in a controlled way - via airplane, barge, balloon, or some kind of stationary platform.</p><p>But the risk to people also largely depends on whether or not North Korea launches a nuclear warhead on an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-intercontinental-ballistic-missiles-work-north-korea-2017-7">intercontinental ballistic missile</a> or a shorter-range rocket, such as one launched from a submarine.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>If successful, such a missile test would show North Korea has miniaturized its weapons. And if the blast appears to be caused by a hydrogen bomb, it would show North Korea could pull off a devastating thermonuclear strike on US soil.</p><p>But missiles are prone to failure in multiple ways, especially those in early development. A North Korean ICBM tipped with a nuclear warhead might miss its target by a significant distance, or explode en route. This could lead to detonation in an unintended place and altitude.</p><p>This is especially true if the missile has no self-destruct capability - ICBMs maintained by the US don't. In that case, only hacking the missile's software in mid-air, or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-icbm-intercept-gmd-north-korea-decoy-salvo-2017-5">destroying it with another weapon</a>, could stop the launch.</p><p>"The stakes and heat in this conflict have not been this high since the Korean War," Tristan Webb, a senior analyst for NK News, said in <a href="https://www.nknews.org/2017/09/north-korea-may-test-h-bomb-in-pacific-foreign-minister">a story</a> published by the outlet on Friday. "Kim Jong Un said in July that the ... showdown was entering its final phase. He appears psychologically prepared for conflict."</p><div><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:54%"></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-weapons-deadly-evolution-power-military-video-animation-2017-3">This animation shows how terrifyingly powerful nuclear weapons have become</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

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