The mega project was typical for its time. In the post World War I period, technological innovation was celebrated to the fullest. After conquering land, sea and air, every obstacle would be no more than a technological challenge. We could even reshape earth’s outlines. Down-right bizarre.

Personally I am glad Sörgel’s project hasn’t become reality. The implications of such a drastic change in nature are unknown. Many year later scientists calculated that the build of the dam could possibly have led to the change of the warm water current flowing through the Atlantic Ocean, entering a new ice age. Sörgel also thought by flooding Congo and creating an enormous lake, he would create fruitful soil in the surrounding area, but nobody knows what consequences this would of have on nature. I find it a scary thought that back than we were technically able to realize such nature altering and possibly irreversible manipulations and didn’t have understanding of its implications. What if we would blindly follow the possibilities technology offered.

The earth’s topology is not ideally fit to satisfy human needs for expansion. We need more space for our growing population, we need more transportation lines for our supplies and travel and we increasingly need power to keep all the gears running. But sustainability should be key. Altering a complete landscape can have massive and irreversible implications for future generations.