Saudi: NEOM megacity could change local weather patterns

A climate scientist who works as an advisor for Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megacity project has warned that its construction could alter local environments and weather patterns, amid a broader series of controversies surrounding the kingdom’s flagship project.

According to the Financial Times, Donald Wuebbles – an expert in atmospheric physics and chemistry, as well as a professor at the University of Illinois, who is a paid adviser to NEOM – told the paper that he had repeatedly warned the project’s Sustainability Advisory Committee regarding the potential environmental impacts of the megacity, which includes a ski resort, floating islands and The Line – a several kilometre long high walled mirrored development.

“Part of my concern was, what impact is The Line and those [projects] going to have on the local environment… you start affecting the local weather and climate,” Wuebbles said. Those damaging effects could potentially include changes to rain patterns, the intensification of wind and storms in desert areas, and other alterations that have “not been studied enough”.

Other concerns that the climate advisor has raised included emissions from the huge use of cement for NEOM projects, especially The Line, which is popularly known as the world’s largest construction site.

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The warnings over the megacity’s climate impact come amid a series of other controversies that have been raised regarding NEOM in recent months and years, including mismanagement and abuse by its executives, the severe lack of sufficient funds for the project and the significant delays and setbacks that have befallen it.

It also notably comes a week after the acting CEO of NEOM launched a “comprehensive review” of the entire project – a process which includes an assessment of the Sustainability Advisory Committee’s future. “The whole operation has been slowed down by six to 12 months,” Wuebbles said.

Although academics were commissioned by NEOM to study his concerns, according to the climate advisor, the findings were not shared with him.

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