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This proposal was forked from Marine Hyperloops for Humanity, the Environment, and Profits in the contest Shifting Behavior for a Changing Climate 2016

Pitch

Hyperloops for Humanity, the Environment, and Profits: A Mediterranean Marine Hyperloop/Refugee/Environmental Collaborative Proposal


Description

Summary

If the EU and the UN decides to pull together a small working group focused upon simply creating a proposal for submission to the Hyperloop One Global Challenge, reaching the finals in the competition would probably have a high probability of success. If that happens, many EU and UN refugee/migration and marine environmental issues can gain significant media attention along with the Hyperloop One effort...if not see it actually happen!

This MIT Climate CoLab proposal outlines how hyperloop technology can help address transport, refugee/migration and environmental mitigation and adaptation needs in one collaborative effort. 


What actions do you propose?

www.shimz.co.jp

The above illustration shows but one of many large scale marine habitat and marine biomass production concepts. To date, the primary concern with such concepts has been the transport costs/time as well as being able to assure the safety of a relatively large human population. Marine hyperloops makes both concerns moot as time and cost of transport to offshore infrastructure is minimal and the onboard human population can be quickly evacuated to shore in the event of the emergence of a large storm.

This proposal suggests that this new form of transportation be coupled to both the current humanitarian needs in the Mediterranean area and the need for large scale climate change mitigation and adaption efforts. To this end, the below email has been sent to a few key UN/EU executives:

 

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Hyperloop One Global Challenge opened for proposal submissions yesterday and there is a potential within this challenge to help address both the current EU/UN refugee/migration issues and the need for environmental mitigation in the Mediterranean Sea as well as provide an overall economic stimulation for the region which a large hyperloop infrastructure will provide. The Hyperloop One team is seeking to:

"[...] collaborate with applicants who most powerfully make the case for how Hyperloop would not only transform passenger and cargo transport in their locations, but also how that Hyperloop transformation will drive economic growth, generate opportunities for development, and create radically new opportunities for people to live anywhere, work anywhere and be anywhere."

I'm proposing that the Mediterranean Sea itself offers a best case scenario for the first major hyperloop network as such a submerged marine transport network infrastructure will offer the most economical way to connect a significant number of nations. Yet beyond the core issue of transportation, this marine hyperloop corridor and infrastructure can provide an important interface with above surface offshore refugee/migrant staging area infrastructures as well as large scale and profitable advanced mariculture operations.

In short, the profits from the large scale advanced mariculture operations can help financially support a number of aspects related to the EU/UN refugee/migrant issues while reducing marine CO2 levels, providing marine mammals additional protection and enhancing the overall health of the fisheries. The marine hyperloop technology, in essence, provides for a quick, timely and low cost offshore transport and thus much of the safety concerns of offshore habitation and work are eliminated.

I have contacted you concerning this opportunity in hopes of gaining interest in producing a EU/UN collaborative proposal to be submitted to the Hyperloop One Global Challenge as I see this opportunity as maybe a once in a generation synthesis of diverse interests and technology development coming together in a powerful and highly synergistic way. Obviously, the creation of a completely new form of transportation has few historic comparisons. It is my strong belief that coupling both humanitarian and marine environmental concerns to this historic development in transportation is an important goal.

If the EU and the UN decides to pull together a small working group focused upon simply creating a proposal for submission to the challenge, reaching the finals in the competition would probably have a high probability of success. If that happens, many EU and UN refugee/migration and marine environmental issues can gain significant media attention along with the Hyperloop One effort...if not see it actually happen!

The above is an effort at Systems of Systems thinking and thus is not a simplistic proposal. However, it does have a strong logic to it (IMMHO). If the EU and the UN decides to take the simple and low cost step of creating a working group around this unique opportunity to address transport, refugee/migration and environmental needs in one collaborative effort, I can provide a significant amount of information on marine biomass production and its downstream products and services inter alia biofuel, organicly raised food/feed, organic fertilizer/biochar, polymers/fabrics, freshwater, large scale energy storage etc. Profits from the marine biomass operations can be impressive.

Please pass this idea as far up your chain of command as possible, with modifications as you see fit to include, as this proposal does need the greatest and swiftest support.

Warmest regards,

Michael Hayes

(end of email)


Who will take these actions?

Gaining support for the Hyperloop One Global Challenge: Marine Hyperloops for Humanity, the Environment, and Profits: A Mediterranean Marine Hyperloop/Refugee/Environmental Collaborative Proposal is the primary focus of this proposal and thus the primary actors are those who read this proposal and send it on to their political/policy leaders and vote for this proposal! 


Where will these actions be taken?

The  Marine Hyperloops for Humanity, the Environment, and Profits: A Mediterranean Marine Hyperloop/Refugee/Environmental Collaborative Proposal is obviously focused upon the Mediterranean Sea. Yet this combination of technology and functions can be put to use around the globe.


How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?


What are other key benefits?

1) The reduction of the hardships suffered by refugees and migrants is a long term investment on multiple levels. Radical fundamentalism finds many recruits in refuge camps (why not become a suicide bomber if you actually have nothing to live for...not even further education or the simplest job?) 

2) If this Colab proposal succeeds, it may be sent on to the upcoming UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, for near term support.

"The Forum, which adopts a Ministerial Declaration, is expected to start effectively delivering on its mandates to provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations on the 2030 Agenda's implementation and follow-up; keep track of progress; spur coherent policies informed by evidence, science and country experiences; as well as address new and emerging issues."

The above list is not exhaustive.


What are the proposal’s costs?

The cost of the hyperloop infrastructure and operation is carried by the hyperloop investors while the cost of the marine biomass production and refuge/migrant care and housing would be carried a distinctly different organization. This non-hyperloop organization should be organized as a Social Benefit corporation as a B corp best describes what the organization does. It will make profits for the investor while providing an important list of social benefits. Raising $500M would be a good starting point for the B corp. 

Below is a short list of related mitigation/adaptation and refugee supportive organizations. These, and many more, may have some interest in provideing the startup funding for the B corp startup.  

Adaptation Fund

"Under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), emission-reduction projects in developing countries can earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits. These credits can be traded and sold by industrialized countries to meet a part of their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. Financing for the Adaptation Fund comes mainly from sales of certified emission reductions. The share of proceeds amounts to 2 percent of the value of CERs issued each year for CDM projects."

Global Environment Facility

Asia LEDS

GET FiT Plus

Africa Solidarity Trust Fund

IUCN

UNHCR

The above list is far from exhaustive and more funding paths can be found Here.

 


Time line

The Hyperloop One Global Challange closes Sept. 16th 2016. This MIT Colab proposal is integral to the  Marine Hyperloops for Humanity, the Environment, and Profits: A Mediterranean Marine Hyperloop/Refugee/Environmental Collaborative Proposal effort as both are an important opportunity to maximize the publicity for such a comprehensive approach to climate change mitigation/adaptation issues, refuge/migrant issues and this new form of transportation.   


Related proposals

UN Oceanic Resources Conservation and Adaptation Platforms (O.R.C.A. Cities)

Algae Derived Ethylene Produces HDPE Algal Bioreactors: Repeat If Necessary!

Ocean Farming Hydrogen and Hydrogen Fueled Aircraft


References

Conservation, Biodiversity and International Law

Climate Finance: An interview with Sylvia Kreibiehl, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management

FAO begins deploying “fish magnets” to help Somali coastal communities

Alan Miller interview at the Asia LEDS Partnership Workshop on Climate Finance 'Scaling up worry'

GGGS 2013 Plenary I - Delivering Green Growth

GGGS 2013 Plenary II - Green Financing : Instruments, Institutions and Regulations

GGGS 2013 Plenary IV - Technology and Innovation

Current status and outlook in the application of microalgae in biodiesel production and environmental protection

The above list is not exhaustive.