I hope this monument to opulence fails miserably and the developers lose their shirts.
There’s no way they won’t damage or destroy that reef.
The first big storm is going to destroy much of the sand island.
But, 10% are special protection zones! Won’t matter, they can’t survive if huge amounts of the non protected reef are destroyed.

Not to mention sea level rise will put it underwater quickly, it’s barely above current sea level in the plans.

Look at Mexico, dozens of comparatively tiny resorts not even on the reefs, but on land, and that reef is not 10% what it was in the mid 80’s. Building ON the reef is guaranteed to destroy it, as is tourism.

I hate when companies are allowed to build on natural wonders to exploit the beauty, they invariably destroy that beauty within decades. That entire reef/coastline should be off limits to construction so the two desert properties have an attraction. When the reefs die from sun tan lotion poisoning, bleaching, sand displacement, accidents with supply ships, the first major fuel spill, etc, that place will be a $5 billion waste, abandoned to the desert.

Remember the “islands of the world” project in Dubai? This sounds even less thought out than they were, more ecologically disastrous, needing more infrastructure to be built, requiring ships to bring fuel as there’s no nearby port to run pipelines from (guaranteeing oil spills). All for what? So billionaires can get off their yachts for a while in luxury?

Wiki-Significant changes in the maritime environment [of Dubai]. As a result of the dredging and redepositing of sand for the construction of the islands, the typically crystalline waters of the Persian Gulf at Dubai have become severely clouded with silt. Construction activity is damaging the marine habitat, burying coral reefs, oyster beds and subterranean fields of sea grass, threatening local marine species as well as other species dependent on them for food. Oyster beds have been covered in as much as two inches of sediment, while above the water, beaches are eroding with the disruption of natural currents.

That was a $12 billion project to exploit the pristine coast and beautiful waters that no longer exist, the islands themselves are sinking and eroding, most were evacuated or never used at all, the water is now mud colored, the reefs are gone. An unmitigated disaster. This sounds extremely similar.

Oppose this and similar projects.

I thought it was a commercial for sun tan lotion.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I've been hearing some dissenting voices on the sunscreen argument. The idea being that sun *burns* are what damage the skin, and some amount of sun tan actually prevents that. Also, the health benefits of vitamin D - though there's been some research that sunscreen doesn't block it. http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/does-sunscreen-block-vitamin-d-20130617-2odov.html

If I had a Northern European complexion I would use it, my choice is to just avoid the rays.

Well duh!
We all know they deserved to be made fun of because they have no souls and don't sun-tan.

>> ^rottenseed:

Very coincidental that this represents the infancy of internet memes


this is the original internet meme as far as this sexy sun tanned latex toting sex god is aware.

its a dead mermaid washed ashore in malaysia

In reply to this comment by Drax:
I've been meaning to ask.. is that an alien getting a sun tan??

I've been meaning to ask.. is that an alien getting a sun tan??

Gosh,Schmawy got a sun tan that fast? I need his secret,your little naughty cat.