Wall 'could stop desert spread'

bbc ^ | July 2009 | Jonathan Fildes

[JoeProBono]

A plan to build a 6,000km-long wall across the Sahara Desert to stop the spread of the desert has been outlined. The barrier - formed by solidifying sand dunes - would stretch from Mauritania in the west of Africa to Djibouti in the east. The plan was put forward by architect Magnus Larsson at the TED Global conference in Oxford. A 2007 UN study described desertification as "the greatest environmental challenge of our times".

[JoeProBono]

Desert sands, and the dunes that they form, are constantly on the move

[MediaMole]

Hubris.

[hoosier hick]

Why would they want to contain the “pristine” Sahara desert?

hh

[cripplecreek]

Undocumented desertification?

[GeronL]

Mauritania has about 500,000 slaves they could put to building the wall.

[Lucky9teen]

Another

Moment

[PressurePoint]

I don’t know if walls work for desert spread. But I’ve been told “walls don’t work” for border security. If walls can’t stop people, I don’t see how they could stop wind and sand.

[discostu]

Gonna have to make a really tall wall to stop the weather.

[CaptRon]

How is it when liberals want to do “eco-engineering” it’s worthwhile, law of unitended consequences be damned; when conservatives say leave it alone, it’s probably the time for the Gieco Gecko to be extinct, we’re the bad guys.

[blam]

Those Saharian dust storms fertlize the Amazon Basin and the Gulf Of Mexico.

[Secret Agent Man]

They bring a lot of bacteria and sickness over with them too.

And I think it just might be a little late for a wall. Pretty much the whole upper half of Africa is desert.

[dainbramaged]

Paging King Canute...

[JoeProBono]

[Jemian]

it’s probably the time for the Gieco Gecko to be extinct

Off topic, but considering the number of geckos running around the walls of my house, that is not gonna happen. LOL!

[CaptRon]

Well then it should!

At least try to get a break on your insurance.

And see if you can get one to try on that little suit.

[CausesCancer]

Actual caption:
"Moving dunes displace both people and crops"

[Deaf Smith]

Old joke about a Genie that granted one wish each to three people.

The second guy was french and wanted a wall around france where as nothing could get in nor escape.

The third asked the Genie about how secure and high the wall was, then requested his wish..."fill it with water".

[hinckley buzzard]

So they solidify a row of dunes to make a wall. The wind blows, the sand behind it moves and soon over runs the "wall." anyone who lives in a cold climate knows how to make really big snow drifts--set up a stretch of snow fence and see what happens.

[Jemian]

ROTFLOL! I can just imagine several of them running around in tuxes, or suits or maybe even a koteka if you could find the correct body part for it.

Truth be told, I WANT the geckos in the house to eat my malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

[CaptRon]

Maybe they can do the trust thing!