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- The proposal has recently been presented to several US Congress members.
- The plan still calls for border security, as all facilities along the border would be guarded and connected by physical barriers.
- This is undoubtedly an expensive and complicated proposition, but the team says that border regions are ideal places for wind and solar energy, and that they could use the jobs and the Fresh water created by the energy park.
"What should the United States do about The Wall?" is a question intended to divide many Americans. But there is a proposal for the US-Mexico border that, at least in theory, seems to suit everyone.
A consortium of 28 engineers and scientists proposed that, instead of building a simple barrier along the border of about 2,000 km, the United States and Mexico could work together to build one. industrial park along the demarcation line, which would include desalination plants, solar panels, wind turbines and gas pipelines. The plan would not only ensure border security to the region – considering that it would act of a continuous train of highly guarded industrial facilities – but also of energy, energy and energy. water and jobs.
In a white paper, the team described the project as an "energy park, water, industry and education" that "will create enormous opportunities for jobs and prosperity".
"Just as the transcontinental railway transformed the United States in the 19th century, or the interstate system transformed the 20th century, it would act as a national infrastructure project for the United States. 21st century, "said Luciano Castillo, Kenninger Professor of Purdue University on Renewable Energy. and consortium leader, told Phys.org. "This would do for the southwest what the Tennessee Valley Authority has done for the southeast in recent decades."
Building such a park would undoubtedly be a complicated and expensive undertaking. The team estimates that the only part of the project devoted to solar energy would require 8 million solar panels and would cost $ 4.5 billion. Nevertheless, many parts of the border region are ideal for generating renewable energy. The white paper describes how areas of strong winds in the Gulf and Baja California regions are "ideal for wind farms".
Similarly, the desalination portion of the proposal would bring water to California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona – areas "with severe to exceptional drought conditions," says the document. . The team added that these efforts, which would include an "interconnected super-pipe system" along the border, could help the US become a global leader in the sector.
"At first glance, the idea seems too big, too aggressive, but consider Roman aqueducts or transcontinental railways – huge businesses that bring huge benefits." The cost of providing basic infrastructure Border lands are minimal compared to the opportunities it creates Ronald Adrian, a Regent professor at the University of Arizona, told Phys.org. "I see this project as a way to create wealth in transforming low-value unused land along the border into high-value land with electricity, access to water and, ultimately, agriculture, transportation, and transportation. Industry, jobs, workers and communities. unused land of little value ".
Until now, the team has submitted its proposal to three US representatives and a senator. It is a plan they believe will help reduce illegal immigration while creating more jobs and cleaner energy in the United States and Mexico.
"Democrats want a Green New Deal Republicans want border security," Castillo told Scientific American. "Both sides could win – this could be a win-win solution for the United States and Mexico as well – this idea could trigger a whole new debate on the border – and we need it."
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