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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Saudi Arabia wants The Line to be a high-tech "eco-city."</li><li>Officials say the city will have no cars or emissions and run on 100% renewable energy.</li></ul><p>Neom's flagship city, known as The Line, has grand plans to be a futuristic "eco-city."</p><p>Officials say the linear city will be built between two giant mirrored skyscrapers, each 1640 feet high and 656 feet apart, and be free of roads, cars, and emissions.</p><p>While plans for The Line have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-neom-the-line-urban-design-linear-pros-cons-2024-6"><u>baffled architects and designers</u></a>, Saudi has continually touted the project as one of the most sustainable in the world.</p><p>It's part of Saudi ruler <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-power-broker-mbs-crown-prince-2023-12"><u>Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 plan to reorient the country's economy away from fossil fuels, which are the source of its wealth,</u></a> toward innovation, technology, and tourism.</p><p>Even the unusual materials used for The Line aim to foster a sense of coexistence with the natural world.</p><p>"With a mirrored facade, wherever you are looking you will see the land behind you, which will be a natural environment. It will blend in perfectly with the surrounding environment. The Line becomes part of its environment, at one with nature," Giles Pendleton, Neom's chief operating officer, said in a press release.</p><p>But recent reports have raised questions about how sustainable the city really is.</p><p>A May report from The Wall Street Journal said that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-neom-line-construction-99b3f54f">Neom officials</a> were recently seeking out contractors to build two gas power plants to power the region until greener energy could be sourced.</p><p>In the same month, Neom also axed a<strong> </strong>$1.5 billion project<strong> </strong>to build a water desalination plant for the city that ran on 100% renewable energy. The exact reason for the cancellation is still unclear.</p><p>Experts told Business Insider that while The Line's eco ambitions were visionary, issues with its construction and design could undermine some of the Kingdom's sustainability goals.</p><h2 id="d2b204c4-1f3e-4eaa-be62-88f676a0a20f">Harmful design</h2><p id="d2b204c4-1f3e-4eaa-be62-88f676a0a20f">Initial designs for The Line have already faced criticism about their potential<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-the-line-mirrored-tower-birds-kill-saudi-arabia-2024-5"><u> impact on wildlife</u></a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-line-neom-completely-ludicrous-design-saudi-arabia-2024-6">everyday appeal.</a></p><p>The mirrored structure is set to be built on a migration route used by billions of birds, something that has reportedly left planners concerned the city could lure a "significant number" of them to their deaths.</p><p>In documents reviewed by The Journal, designers wrote that it was "inevitable that a significant number of birds will perish," illustrating their concerns with a drawing of a dead northern flicker.</p><p id="d2b204c4-1f3e-4eaa-be62-88f676a0a20f">Anirban Adhya, a professor of architecture and urban design at Lawrence Technological University, told Business Insider that the city's design could harm the surrounding environment.</p><p>"The development seems to be very uniform with external mirrors on both sides," he said. "This could be harmful ecologically in terms of unnecessary heat gain as well as detrimental for birds and their flying path."</p><p>Whether the construction of the "eco-city" is as sustainable as the finished project is another question.</p><p>"The energy that's going to be used to build it is not going to be sustainable — even if once Neom is built, it might have a sustainable component," Andreas Krieg, a Gulf specialist at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at King's College London, told BI.</p><p>Philip Oldfield, head of school at UNSW Built Environment in Sydney, has estimated that building The Line would produce billions of tons of embodied carbon dioxide.</p><p>He said after calculating the amount of floor area, how big it will be, and how much concrete it might need the amount of carbon produced could be equivalent to the UK's total emission over three to four years.</p><h2 id="7c47ff44-3192-470c-96ff-052bd5d47858">Ambitious goals</h2><p>Neom claims that 95% of land and sea in the region will be protected for nature and is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-weird-jobs-needed-run-smart-city-2024-5">already recruiting</a> for roles dedicated to rewilding and land preservation.</p><p>It has also promised to be a zero-carbon city, relying on public transport instead of cars and roads.</p><p>Experts told BI that these plans offered exciting solutions for issues like urban sprawl, excessive carbon emissions, and inefficient energy use.</p><p>Even just the focus on AI-enhanced sustainability was an important step in pushing the boundaries of urban design, said Mona Lovgreen, a partner and architect at design company Dialog.</p><p>However, its construction did pose some potential negative ecological impacts, she said.</p><p>Lovgreen pointed to issues "such as disrupting natural habitats, carbon emissions from building materials, and the transferring of these materials to areas remote from where they are produced."</p><p>Mara Baum, an architect and sustainability expert also at Dialog, added that while Neom's effort to reduce transport emissions was important, "this ignores the substantial environmental impact of building a new city from scratch."</p><p>"Transportation accounts for less than a quarter of global carbon emissions, while the construction and operation of buildings represent nearly 40% of emissions," Baum said.</p><p>She added that it can be particularly difficult to maintain sustainable construction in hot and dry regions of the world.</p><h2 id="fae98238-3d7c-4af0-aeae-406ff07502de">Gulf greenwashing</h2><p>Saudi's green ambitions for Neom also serve to redirect attention away from the country's heavy reliance on oil and gas.</p><p>While megaprojects like Neom are part of a plan to pivot Saudi's economy away from fossil fuels, the projects are still largely funded by the country's vast oil revenues.</p><p>Krieg said projects like Neom were part of a wider greenwashing trend across Gulf nations.</p><p>"These countries don't talk about oil and gas," he said. "For Neom and all these bigger projects, part of the PR of it is saying that it's going to be green and it's going to be sustainable."</p><p>"These little efforts that they're making are supposed to compensate for the massive percentage of dirty energy that they're producing," he said.</p><p>Representatives for Neom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.</p><p><em>With additional reporting from </em><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/ben-bauer"><em>Ben Bauer</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Saudi says The Line will be the world's first 'eco-city.' Construction and design specialists aren't so sure.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Chinese tech giant LeEco is looking to sell a 49-acre Silicon Valley property it purchased from Yahoo less than a year ago.</p><p>Citing unnamed sources, Reuters reported early Friday that the cash-strapped company was in talks with another China-based firm about a land-sale that could top $260 million.</p><p>LeEco <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/leeco-buys-yahoo-land-in-santa-clara-2016-6">bought the property from Yahoo</a> in June last year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/leeco-opens-new-us-headquarters-in-silicon-valley-2016-4">around the same time it opened its first US headquarters</a> in San Jose.</p><p>At the time, tech billionaire and LeEco CEO Jia Yueting said the old Yahoo site would be "an EcoCity that houses 12,000 employees."</p><p>The potential sale is the latest wrinkle in what has been a tumultuous run for LeEco. It <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/leeco-announces-leeco-live-for-united-states-2016-10">started as an online entertainment company</a> and expanded dramatically over the course of a decade, selling smartphones and televisions and, more recently, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-closer-look-at-leeco-electric-car-lesee-2016-8">developing electric cars</a>.</p><p>Jia said in a letter to employees last fall that LeEco's rapid expansion had ultimately dried up its cash reserves. Layoffs have hit LeEco globally, with <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/03/leeco-india/">hundreds of jobs cut at its offices in India</a> and <a href="http://www.scmp.com/business/article/2056916/leeco-lays-60-hong-kong-staff-wake-reports-cash-crunch">in Hong Kong</a>.</p><p>Shares in LeEco's publicly traded flagship, Leshi Internet Information and Technology dipped 25% in the span of five months, Reuters reported.</p><p>Notably, LeEco is partnered with the US-based automotive company, Faraday Future - a startup that wants to build electric self-driving cars. Jia is Faraday Future's only publicly known investor. Like LeEco, Faraday has also had trouble paying its bills, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/faraday-future-money-problems-electric-car-nevada-sources-2017-1">which have led to lawsuits and executive departures</a> over the past year.</p><p>LeEco got a $2.2 billion investment from the property company Sunac China Holdings in January, but that money was earmarked for LeEco's entertainment business and not its languishing car upstarts, which have yet to complete any production-ready vehicles or a factory in which to build them.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/technologies-future-2030-world-economic-forum-tech-video-2017-2">7 amazing technologies we'll see by 2030</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="gyZHdzOTE6-7W7ygtgWICrMsqtn8Zv54" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A struggling Chinese tech giant looking to make a big splash in the US is said to be selling off property to raise money

<br />
<br /> <keyword id="3205550" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="LeEco">LeEco</keyword>, the global internet and technology conglomerate, which has created ripples in the Indian market for being a disruptive and innovative brand has launched its first radio campaign nationally<strong>. </strong>The radio campaign spots have been conceptualized by Orchard , a unit of Leo Burnett Ad agency and implemented by Madison and will run across 7 radio channels in Tier 1 &amp; 2 cities.<br />
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<strong><keyword id="3264116" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="LeEco-Day">LeEco Day</keyword> v2.0</strong>, the company’s second super offer carnival in India will be held on<strong> the 7<sup>th</sup> and 8<sup>th</sup> of April </strong>and will offer unprecedented gifts and discounts to its customers on Flipkart. From a chance to win Mahindra KUV 100 as a bumper prize, to an easy exchange offer, the carnival will be an exciting day for Indian buyers.<br />
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To promote the same, LeEco has collaborated with major radio channels across the country like <strong>Red FM, Fever 104 FM, Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Radio City, My FM, </strong>and<strong> Radio Tadka.</strong> Channels across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Indore, Lucknow, Patna, Surat, Jaipur, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad, will air details on offers and discounts, users can avail on LeEco day.<br />
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Through this campaign, the company aims to target the age group of 15-30 years by enticing them to upgrade from their existing smartphones to LeEco’s Superphones.<br />
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Talking about the campaign, <strong>Atul Jain, COO LeEco India</strong> said, <em>“LeEco’s philosophy has been to provide customers with an encompassing and unprecedented experience. Our initiatives like the LeECo Day are part of our efforts to go-beyond customer expectations and provide them with the ‘Le experience’ we are known for globally. Considering most of our users are</em> <em>millennials and listen to radio which commuting, we decided to promote the LeEco Day at such a large scale over radio. We are sure that customers will make use of the LeEco Day 2.0 to the fullest and join the family of superphone users.” </em><br />
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Since the launch of its phones the Le 1s and Le Max, LeEco devices have established themselves as the phone of choice among users, with their best in class performance and competitive pricing. LeEco has been aggressively marketing its devices in India and has already been present across traditional and new media outlets since January 2016.<br />

LeEco tunes into FM for LeEco Day; launches high blitz radio campaign

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://openbuildings.com/buildings/ornesvingen-viewing-platform- profile-41790">Steinar Skaar</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Using research from the University of Notre Dame, Eco Experts created a map ranking the countries that would fare the best - and the worst - in a worst-case climate change scenario.</strong></li><li><strong>The Notre Dame data analyzes countries based on factors like healthcare, food supply, and government stability.</strong></li><li><strong>While the US ranked among the top 10 countries most likely to survive climate change in 2015, it slipped to 12th place this year.</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>A safe haven sounds like a good idea right about now.</p><p>Somewhere that's warm but not too warm, free from roof-toppling hurricanes and close to a river or ocean but far enough to avoid the threats of flooding and sea-level rise.</p><p>According to climate scientists and urban planners, that doesn't leave a lot of options.</p><p>"The bottom line is it's going to be bad everywhere," <a href="http://climatereadinessinstitute.org/#staff">Bruce Riordan</a>, the director of the Climate Readiness Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, told Business Insider. "It's a matter of who gets organized around this."</p><p>That said, some countries will fare far better than others, according to UK-based energy comparison service <a href="https://blog.theecoexperts.co.uk/countries-survive-climate-change-2018">Eco Experts</a>, which created a color-coded map using data from the <a href="http://index.gain.org/">Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index</a>. The index analyzes 181 countries based on factors like healthcare, food supply, and government stability and ranks them on their ability to cope with the challenges posed by a warming planet. Norway ranked #1, while a handful of other Nordic countries (and New Zealand) followed.</p><p>While the maps provide a great zoomed-out perspective of what will happen globally as the earth warms, there are a couple caveats to keep in mind when checking it out:</p><ul><li>The map looks only at country-level data, not at states, regions, or cities. While the US gets a green light on this map, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-us-cities-escape-climate-change-2017-9">many cities within its borders are poorly prepared for climate change</a>.</li><li>Developed countries in general have larger budgets and more infrastructure to work with, automatically shifting them toward the top of the list while lower-income countries are shuffled down.</li></ul><p>Here's the full graphic:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Eco Experts</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tried-7-minute-workout-month-weight-loss-exercise-2017-6">I tried the 7-minute workout for a month - here's what happened</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The best countries to escape the worst effects of climate change

Greater Noida, Feb 5 () JBM Auto on Wednesday launched electric bus ECO-LIFE e9, powered by fast charging lithium batteries, at the auto expo here.<p>It can run 125-150 kms in a single charge, depending on the city's traffic conditions, the company said.</p><p>The company is aiming to be one-stop solution provider in the electric vehicles segment by providing a complete ecosystem solution for e-mobility i.e. electric bus, battery technology, charging infrastructure based on the operating pattern within the city.</p><p>"ECO-LIFE e9 expands our electric bus portfolio further with its elder sibling e12 that was launched in the last Auto Expo. The ECO-LIFE series has been designed and localized keeping the Govt's Make in India vision...," JBM Group Executive Director Nishant Arya said.</p><p>ECO-LIFE is manufactured at the company's facilities in Faridabad (Haryana) and Kosi (Uttar Pradesh).</p>These plants have an installed capacity to manufacture 2,000 buses annually, it adeed.  KRH  BAL

JBM launched electric bus ECO-LIFE e9

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Many cities around the world - from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nycs-citi-bike-sharing-is-wildly-popular-2013-10">New York City</a> to <a href="https://www.itdp.org/buenos-aires-launches-automated-bike-share/">Buenos Aires</a> - are investing more in bike share systems as a form of public <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">transportation</keyword>. But the bikes don't come with helmets, so riders must either bring their own - which can be cumbersome to carry around - or go without. <p>A new invention, called the EcoHelmet, may offer a solution. Made of paper, the device&#xa0;is collapsible, and is designed with&#xa0;bike share programs in mind.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>On November 17, inventor&#xa0;<span>Isis Shiffer <a href="http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/news/ecohelmet-wins-james-dyson-award-2016/">won</a> the 2016 International James Dyson Award, a prestigious design accolade given to university students, for the helmet&#xa0;design.&#xa0;<span>Shiffer </span> imagines the helmets could&#xa0;be sold in vending machines near bike share stations for&#xa0;$5 each. </span></p><p><span>The UK-based award comes with&#xa0;a £30,000 prize ($31,800), which&#xa0;<span>Shiffer plans to&#xa0;use to produce more of the helmets. </span></span></p><p><span><span>A</span></span>&#xa0;28-year-old New Yorker,&#xa0;<span>Shiffer</span> <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38004215">told</a> the BBC that she realized a paper helmet would be "a tough sell," since the material doesn't seem strong enough to protect you in an accident. <span>But the EcoHelmet has a radial honeycomb design similar to that of foldable decorations, which Shiffer says makes it as solid as a traditional polycarbonate plastic helmet. </span><span><span>So far, she <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/technology/ecohelmet-bike-helmet-foldable/" target="_blank">told CNN</a>, it's been&#xa0;reliable at absorbing impact in the tests she's done so far. </span></span></p><p><span><span>The helmet also has a</span></span><span><span>&#xa0;biodegradable coating that&#xa0;makes it resistant to light rain for up to three hours, and it's recyclable, so used helmets could potentially be turned into new ones.</span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Shiffer has said</span> she hopes to conduct more research&#xa0;to make the EcoHelmet&#xa0;stronger, more more water-resistant, and ready for mass production.&#xa0;</span></span>There's no timeline yet, however, on when and where the EcoHelmet will be available.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Here's a video that shows how it works:</strong></p><p><div><div class="vimeo-embed-container"></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bird-of-prey-bicycle-stomach-faster-safer-cycle-lying-racing-speed-cycling-2016-10">You ride this bike on your stomach and it's meant to be healthier and safer</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="A1MjYyNzE67__AeQoVe2VBKVQT88jKUl" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

This recyclable paper bike helmet just won a prestigious design award

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<br /> Strengthening its foothold in India, <keyword id="3205550" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="LeEco">LeEco</keyword>, the global technology and internet conglomerate, has filed an application with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for undertaking single brand retail trading of electronic products both through brick and mortar stores and e-commerce portal. The company has also sought relaxation from the 30% domestic sourcing rule so that it can bring in "cutting edge technology" and “state-of-the-art” features to Indian consumers.<br />
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The technology and internet giant which entered the India market early this year in January, introducing its unique Ecosystem model and launching its two Superphone models- Le 1s and Le Max, has received a great response from industry as well as consumers in a short span of time. Owing to its breakthrough technology, disruptive pricing and comprehensive vertically integrated ecosystem, the brand has created ‘market disruption’ in true sense, which is also evident from the milestones its Superphones have created in the industry.<br />
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With plans to open fully owned exclusive retail stores in top 8 to 10 cities, starting with New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, LeEco plans to display its entire Ecosystem ranging from phones, TVs, VR Headsets, Bluetooth devices and power banks. Additionally, the company will also open 500 franchise stores to ensure its consumers can experience their breakthrough products and unique content integrated offerings across its device ecosystem.<br />
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"India is a key market for LeEco and we plan to significantly invest in setting up our business model in the country. We are committed to offering our users cutting edge technology at disruptive prices. We have received a great response from consumers so far for our Superphones and now plan to strengthen our presence in the market by opening our own stores and e-commerce portal to offer our users the best-in-class experience”, said Atul Jain, COO, Smart Electronics Business, LeEco India.<br />
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“We at LeEco are also aligned with the Government’s Make in India initiative and also plan to start manufacturing in India very soon”, he added.<br />
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Earlier this month, the global player also announced setting up in-house Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) in 10 cities across India by end of 2016, making a significant investment of over 10 million USD to set up this CDN/cloud infrastructure. Offering consumers a comprehensive Ecosystem, which is unique to the company globally, LeEco plans to replicate its successful model in India. Also, LeEco had shared its plans to set-up our R&amp;D centre in Bangalore with a staff of 1000 employees by the end of 2016.<br />
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LeEco has a comprehensive ecosystem model globally consisting of devices, content, cloud and a user interface platform, which clearly sets apart the company in the technology and internet space in India as well. The LeEco devices connected by Le Ecosystem are the company’s biggest differentiator.<br />

LeEco Files for FIPB Application

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Vincent Callebaut Architectures</span></p><p class="caption">The Hyperions project envisions a vibrant eco-positive community.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The organic, curvilinear designs of an Avatar universe may be closer than we think.</p><p>Indian agroecologist Amlankusum and Paris-based <a href="http://vincent.callebaut.org/page1-img-hyperions.html">Vincent Callebaut Architectures</a> have released plans for a vertical "eco-neighborhood" called the Jaypee Green Sports City. The compound, which would theoretically be built outside of New Delhi, is named "Hyperions" and consists of a set of six 36-story towers connected by common green spaces, walkways, and shared eco-conscious utilities.</p><p>It's full of innovative details meant to optimize energy efficiency and limit environmental impact.</p><p>Let's take a look at one team's vision of the future of sustainable living, below.</p>

This futuristic 'vertical village' is like a jungle stretching 36 stories into the sky

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Malcolm Aw said he pulled out of a <keyword id="19998110" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Neom" source="keywords">Neom</keyword> contract because of alleged Saudi <keyword id="20531932" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="human-rights-abuses" source="keywords">human rights abuses</keyword>. </li><li>The CEO of Solar Water told BI that he had planned to build solar <keyword id="21441601" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="desalination-plants" source="keywords">desalination plants</keyword>. </li></ul>A <keyword id="19895435" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="green-energy" source="keywords">green energy</keyword> founder pulled out of a $100 million <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-saudi-arabia-forces-authorized-kill-villagers-the-line-colonel-2024-5">Neom</a> contract after he realized that the Saudis were bulldozing villages to make way for the megacity.<br /><br />Malcolm Aw, the CEO and founder of Solar Water, told Business Insider that he initially got involved with Neom to help realize its ambitions as a pioneering green energy "<keyword id="22368252" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="eco-city" source="keywords">eco-city</keyword>."<br /><br />Neom is the centerpiece of Saudi ruler <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vision-2030-saudi-arabia-plan-future-proof-oil-economy-2023-8">Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 project</a> to diversify the Saudi economy away from fossil fuels and transform it into a luxury tourism destination and innovation hub.<br /><br />However, Aw said he was so appalled at reports of human rights abuses that he canceled the Neom contract in 2022, despite having already begun planning some of his desalination plants there.<br /><br />"They just, they bulldoze their way right through villages and everything, which is just unbelievable," said Aw.<br /><br />Aw spoke to BI after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68945445"><u>BBC News</u></a> reported that an exiled Saudi colonel said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-neom-middle-east-conflict-israel-peace-tourism-2024-5"><u>Saudi Arabia</u></a> authorized the use of lethal force to clear the way for its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-neom-roadshow-china-investor-interest-funding-2024-4"><u>Neom</u></a> desert megacity.<br /><br />Col Rabih Alenezi said he was ordered to evict people living on the land to make way for a part of the project called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-what-we-know-saudi-arabia-500bn-mega-city-2019-9"><u>The Line</u></a>. The area was mostly populated by the Huwaitat tribe.<br /><br />The BBC said it was not able to independently verify Alenezi's comments about lethal force.<br /><br />However, satellite images analyzed by the BBC showed three villages, including schools and hospitals, were destroyed to make way for Neom.<br /><br />One of the villagers, Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, was<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/15/saudi-forces-kill-man-who-refused-to-give-up-property-activists"><u> later reportedly killed by Saudi authorities,</u></a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/05/saudi-arabia-un-experts-alarmed-imminent-executions-linked-neom-project"> said the UN.</a><br /><br />"What it tried to do is turn the whole province into Dubai or Qatar or something, but in doing so, they are clearing the people who have been there for years out of the area," said Aw.<br /><br />"These people could be such a contribution to this whole development. You know the villages have all been removed."<br /><br />Aw, who is a descendant of Tiger Balm founder Aw Boon Haw, told BI that he had initially been drawn to work on the Neom project because of its commitment to green energy and ecology.<br /><br />Aw's company uses solar energy for desalination, while most desalination plants burn fossil fuels and have been found to pollute oceans. Neom had offered Aw's company, Solar Water, $100m for exclusive rights to use his technology.<br /><br />Neom's planners say they want to be an"eco-city," with the signature project "The Line" — a vertical mirrored skyscraper cutting through the desert — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline">running on 100% renewable energy</a> and 95% of the land preserved for nature. They claim to be committed to "respecting existing communities and cultural heritage within our region."<br /><br />But Aw believes the promises are not being fulfilled, and planners are performing a U-turn on their original vision for the city.<br /><br />"What they're doing is not ethical and what they're doing is they're creating an exclusivity to house wealthy people in a wealthy touristic area. But that wasn't the original idea. The idea was to develop a green scenario," he said.<br /><br />"The whole idea we came in is to make the place green, and for the people, the local people, the indigenous who have been there for ages, for yonks, to be able to share into development," said Aw. "But then they change course. Suddenly, they are totally different from what we expect to do, and in doing so, they have done a lot of damage."<br /><br />Neom declined to comment on Aw's claims. The Saudi embassy in the UK did not respond to a request for comment.<br /><br /><keyword id="19905161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saudi-Arabia" source="keywords">Saudi Arabia</keyword> has been trying to quell public criticism about its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vision-2030-saudi-arabia-plan-future-proof-oil-economy-2023-8"><u>Vision 2030 plans</u></a>.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-woman-gets-30-years-prison-criticizing-neom-megacity-twitter-2023-6">Last year, BI </a>reported that the crackdown extended to those criticizing the evictions on social media, with Fatima al-Shawarbi sentenced to 30 years in prison for speaking out.<br /><br />The project has been beset by problems in recent months, with costs spiraling to an estimated $1 trillion and key projects delayed or cut back. In April, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-05/saudis-scale-back-ambition-for-1-5-trillion-desert-project-neom">Bloomberg reported</a> that Saudi officials were reducing the number of people expected to be living in Neom from around one million to 300,000 by 2030. The report also said the length of The Line could be cut from around 100 miles to one mile.<br /><br />Aw urged planners to stand by their original ethical and ecological vision.<br /><br />"You know, we have the technology to solve the [green energy] problem that people are complaining about today. Absolutely. Absolutely. But there's just not the vision or the ethical commitment," he said.<br /><br /><i>Correction: July 5, 2024: An earlier version of this story misstated one of Malcolm Aw's claims. While Aw's company, Solar Water, was contracted to build desalination plants in Neom, it withdrew before construction work had begun.</i><br />

Energy CEO said he canceled a $100M contract with Neom when he realized the Saudis were bulldozing villages to make space

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Luxury towers in New York City.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nyc">New York City</a> is calling upon buildings over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">25,000 square feet to reduce their carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.</a></strong></li><li><strong>Buildings that don't comply may be fined millions of dollars, reports <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">The New York Times</a>.</strong></li><li><strong>Luxury buildings <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nyc-trump-tower_n_5b33eda9e4b0b745f17a4b7f">are responsible for nearly half the city's carbon footprint</a> and may have to ditch hallmark features to meet the city's new requirements. <br /></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an attempt to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">practically eliminate New York's carbon footprint by 2050</a>, luxury buildings may have to forfeit some of their <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">hallmark features</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In April 2019, the City Council passed the</span><a href="https://council.nyc.gov/data/green/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Climate Mobilization Act</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> a law</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that will require buildings over 25,000 square feet to reduce their carbon emissions by <a href="https://council.nyc.gov/press/2019/04/18/1730/">40% by 2030, and an additional 40%</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://council.nyc.gov/press/2019/04/18/1730/"> by 2050</a>. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">The New York Times' Stefanos Chen</a> reported that the requirement will impact over 50,000 of the city's <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/sirr/downloads/pdf/Ch4_Buildings_FINAL_singles.pdf">1 million buildings</a>.</span></p><p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wellness-home-san-francisco-market-photos-tour-amenities-2019-6">A $34 million San Francisco mansion billed as a 'wellness home' has a sauna, yoga studio, and filtration system that changes all the air in the house every 2 hours. Take a look inside.</a></span></em></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While luxury towers make up just<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nyc-trump-tower_n_5b33eda9e4b0b745f17a4b7f"> 2% of New York City's buildings, they are responsible for nearly half the city's carbon footprint</a>. The</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> transition to eco-friendlier buildings and features can be both inconvenient and pricey for luxury developers, but a failure to comply </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate"><span style="font-weight: 400;">can result in millions of dollars of fines</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luxury towers aren't the only ones that have to change their building styles to comply with the new regulations. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">Affordable housings units and older buildings in the city</a> will also have to invest in eco-friendly features to lower carbon emissions.</span></p><h2><strong>Going eco-friendly will be expensive - and it will change what luxury looks like</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Michael Namer, the developer of  200 East 21st Street, a 67-unit condo in Gramercy Park, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">told Chen</a> that eco-friendly features throughout the building increased construction costs by about 5%. </span></p><p>Strides towards reducing carbon emissions in the city's existing buildings may prove more challenging than in newer developments. That's because, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">The Times</a>, a lot of the defining features of luxury buildings - tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and amenity-filled rooms - are not energy efficient.</p><p>Just consider luxury tower <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-expensive-condo-in-one57-billionaires-row-tower-nyc-photos-2019-5">One57 on Billionaires' Row in Manhattan</a>. Business Insider's Katie Warren visited the most expensive condo for sale in the building and found that the massive great room has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Central Park. The feature continued throughout the master bedroom and the den.</p><p>While the window-heavy look may scream "luxury," it also, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/realestate/counting-down-to-a-green-new-york.html?action=click&amp;module=Well&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;section=Real%20Estate">The Times</a> reports, requires more energy to heat and cool than a solid surface.</p><p>And similarly, so many luxury NYC buildings are pulling out all the stops with their amenities that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/luxury-apartments-amenities-war-tenants-inventory-surplus-pop-up-hotels-2019-1">WhyHotel CEO Jason Fudin previously told Business Insider's Lina Batarags</a> that these buildings are locked in an "amenities war." There's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/luxury-buildings-amenities-for-kids-apartment-playroom-pool-video-games-2018-11">15 Hudson Yards</a> with its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fifteen-hudson-yards-nyc-luxury-building-photos-amenities-pool-apartment-2019-2">75-foot pool</a> and kid-friendly amenities, including an "imagination room"; and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fifteen-hudson-yards-nyc-luxury-building-photos-amenities-pool-apartment-2019-2">Brooklyn Point</a>, the tallest building in Brooklyn, which will have amenities like a stroller valet, a game room, and indoor spa when it's completed in 2020.</p><p>While amenities might help buildings draw in potential buyers, they also, according to <a href="https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20180514/FEATURES/305149999/high-end-condos-are-eating-up-energy">Crain's New York</a>, heighten the use of electricity and natural gas.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-american-men-suck-soccer-world-cup-2018-6">The US women's national team dominates soccer, but here's why the US men's team sucks</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

New York is in a race to be carbon neutral by 2050. The city's glossy, glass-encased luxury buildings may be one of the first casualties

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.etiennemalapert.com/">Etienne Malapert</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Twenty miles outside of Abu Dhabi, what was once a barren patch of desert is now on its way to becoming the world's most sustainable eco-city. </p><p>The <a href="http://www.masdar.ae/en/masdar-city">Masdar Project</a> is the United Arab Emirates' planned city of the future, complete with state-of-the-art technology and energy-efficient transportation systems. </p><p>In a country built on oil, a car-free, solar-powered community is certainly an anomaly. </p><p>French photographer <a href="http://www.etiennemalapert.com/">Etienne Malapert</a> was enthralled by the idea of a green city in a land of black gold.</p><p>In his final year at the Art School of Lausanne in Switzerland, he documented the strange environment of Masdar City. What he found was an incomplete and alien site, an otherworldly land left sparse by the 2008 economic meltdown.</p><p>Malapert has shared his stunning series, "City of Possibilities," with Business Insider. </p><p> </p>

Take a tour of the 'city of the future' being built in a Middle Eastern desert

<p><span><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:401px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source">Matthew Williams/LifeEdited</p></div>Graham Hill, founder of minimalist design firm </span><a href="http://www.lifeedited.com/">LifeEdited</a>, brought his ultimate dream home to life less than a year ago.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">After shedding the excess, he managed to fit his entire life inside </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/garden/the-founder-of-treehugger-and-his-apartment-of-the-future.html?pagewanted=all">a 420-square foot apartment</a> in Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighborhood. </p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The idea was to fit </span><a href="http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/01/24/transformer-apartment-soho-new-york/">700 square feet into 420 square feet</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> with the creative use of space. The result is a home that doubles as a treasure trove of storage space, featuring fold-up beds, hidden cabinets, removable walls and more. It can be transformed from a living room to bedroom, workspace, dining room and entertainment space.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>"A simpler life is a happier life," Hill told Business Insider in an interview in March. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>But his particular brand of simplicity comes at a cost. </span></span></p>
<p><span>In 2009 and 2010, </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/garden/the-founder-of-treehugger-and-his-apartment-of-the-future.html?pagewanted=all">he bought two apartments in an old Sullivan Street building</a><span> and held a design competition for the larger of the two, which is now the popularized LifeEdited <keyword id="6362656" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="apartment">apartment</keyword>. The space cost about $300,000, plus an extra $250,000 to $300,000 in renovations</span><span><br /></span></p>
<p>"You have to fill it full of stuff and then you have to light it, heat it, cool it, clean it, maintain it, move it," he said, adding that his intention isn't for Americans to copy his design exactly. </p>
<p><span>"We truly believe that this is not only a middle, upper-class type thing. We can absolutely do this on a cheaper basis."</span><span><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">With Hill's permission, we've published a walk-thru of his LifeEdited apartment. </span></p>

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