Infinite Power to Change the World: Hydroelectricity and Engineered Climate Change in the Atlantropa Project (original) (raw)

This paper explores the Atlantropa project, an ambitious vision proposed in the late 1920s by Hermann Sörgel, aimed at integrating Europe and Africa through the construction of a dam at Gibraltar and the extensive harnessing of hydroelectric power. It highlights the socio-political and environmental aspirations linked to hydroelectricity during a period marked by concerns over energy scarcity and environmental degradation. The Atlantropa project is framed as an emblematic representation of the era's technological optimism and its potential to address the interconnected crises of energy, land use, and geopolitical stability.