Qattara Climate-Peace Basin 2040

Water for Life Instead of Weapons for Death – #think-big4peace-1

Here is the English translation of my article for the Global Peace and Climate Summit in Vienna 2025, styled in neutral, journalistically high-quality English with accessible language and full structure for international presentation:

Created on 22-23 May 2025 by Andreas Hermann Landl

The Desert Project of Hope and Healing

The British military mined the Qattara Depression during World War II to stop Nazi forces. The result: a region rendered inaccessible for centuries unless billions are invested in clearance. Yet this vast geological basin in northwest Egypt—dropping to 137 metres below sea level—holds untapped potential for peace and sustainability.

Ideas to flood the basin date back to the 1920s. I first came across it through a visionary 1974 book titled Saharien – Water for the Desert. In that fictional account, Japan—unable to export weapons—invests instead in flooding the Qattara Depression. By 2003, it is completed: “the first paradise made by humans for humans… and for animals, plants, for all that lives” (p. 5).

Today, this old utopia meets new reality. The Qattara Peace Basin 2040 is a bold yet realistic vision for transforming one of Earth’s deepest land depressions into an international symbol of climate action, disarmament, and cooperation.

The core idea: channeling water from the Mediterranean into the Qattara Depression—not as an isolated megaproject, but as part of a global disarmament and arms conversion process. Only through coordinated military de-escalation, mine clearance, and the redirection of defense budgets can this vision become viable.

A Vision Beyond Energy

Sea water would be diverted via a canal or tunnel into the depression, which lies 133 meters below sea level. Due to constant evaporation in the desert climate, water would keep flowing in. The elevation drop can be used for hydropower, with estimated continuous capacity of 300 to 500 megawatts—enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

But energy is only the beginning.

Around this newly created inland sea, the project envisions:

• wetlands and biodiversity zones,
• solar farms and ecological research stations,
• peace education centers and jobs for local communities.

Once a deadly minefield, the area could become a laboratory for climate resilience and post-conflict recovery. Some of the energy could even be supplied to Gaza or southern Europe.

Symbolic Value: Global Peace, Local Impact

Flooding the Qattara Depression could reduce global sea levels by up to two centimeters—not a final solution, but a symbolic move. For low-lying island states like Tuvalu or the Maldives, this could buy 2–3 more years before inundation reaches critical levels.

It’s a gesture of solidarity—a cooperative counterpoint to militarized climate inaction.

Estimated project costs? 10 to 15 billion USD. That’s less than 1% of global annual military spending. It could be financed by a coalition of disarmament-minded states, the African Union, and UN development agencies.

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Timeline to 2040

• By 2027: political consensus, funding, international planning
• 2026–2032: mine clearance led by UNMAS and NGO consortia
• 2029–2036: tunnel construction, infrastructure development
• 2035–2040: phased water inflow, ecological monitoring
• From 2037: social and economic integration

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Background Scenario: “Qattara Climate-Peace Basin 2040”

This proposal only becomes realistic if embedded within a global arms conversion and ecological healing strategy.

Global Disarmament – Local Healing – Sustainable Use

Framework Conditions (in line with SDG & Paris goals):

• Military budget reductions of 30% (approx. 600 billion USD/year globally)
• UN-led mission: UNOPS, UNMAS, and UNEP manage clearance & infrastructure
• Peace Fund for Conversion: 5 billion USD initial investment from disarmament dividends

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Use Case Matrix for the Qattara Basin

Purpose	Description
Partial flooding (to -60 m)	Channeling seawater via tunnel or canal from El Alamein
Hydropower	Continuous electricity generation via 133 m drop
Solar-thermal energy	Integration with desert-based solar storage systems
Biodiversity zones	Artificial oases and habitats, e.g. inspired by Azraq, Jordan
Socioeconomic reintegration	Peace work, jobs, education, climate resilience labs

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Project Cost Estimates (in 2040 prices)

Step	Cost (billion USD)
Mine clearance	0.6 – 1.0
Tunnel construction	6 – 10
Hydropower and energy infrastructure	2 – 3
Ecological development	0.5 – 1.0
Social reintegration	0.5
Total	~10–15 billion USD

Comparison: Global annual military expenditures exceed 2,000 billion USD. This peace-driven infrastructure project would require only 0.75% of that.

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Sea Level Reduction – Global Impact

Facts:

• Qattara Depression could hold approx. 5,000–6,000 km³ of seawater
• Global oceans: 1.35 billion km³
• 1 cm sea level = ~3,600 km³ removed

Result:
1.5 to 2 cm sea-level reduction, providing 2–3 years delay in flooding impacts.

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What 1 cm Can Change

Impact	Relevance
Delaying sea rise	1 cm = approx. 2.5–3 years of relief at current rise rates
Island nations	Buys time for infrastructure adaptation
Coastal regions (e.g. Bangladesh, Nile Delta)	Relief for levees, drainage systems
Symbolic power	A global act of peace instead of war

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Added Value

• Peace symbol: Transforming a former battlefield into a climate refuge
• Model for Syria, Libya, Iran: Reimagining post-conflict desert regions
• Climate research: Field lab for carbon sinks, saline wetlands, and hydrological adaptation

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Final Word

With just a fraction of global military expenditures, the Qattara Depression could become a landmark project for peace, sustainability, and international solidarity by 2040. It could delay sea level rise, create tens of thousands of jobs, and offer hope to vulnerable regions—proving that global cooperation is not only possible, but urgently necessary.

Water for Life Instead of Weapons for Death.

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