I learned this weekend that the Mexican government is planning to construct a 1,500km long railroad through the wilderness in the heart of the Yucatan. The Maya Train is intended to drive economic development to some of Mexico’s poorest areas, in part by easing travel to the region for the millions of tourists that visit each year.
Last year, just over 50,000 visitors came to Calakmul, home to an ancient Mayan city that today is a UNESCO world heritage site. The local forests are filled with incredibly biodiverse life including howler monkeys, crocodiles, and exotic birds. Unsurprisingly, the Mayan jungle is an extremely delicate biosphere, and The Mayan Train is a major threat to its continued existence. Bulldozers are currently tearing through the jungle to lay the tracks for the train, a massive undertaking that’s projected to cost ~$20 billion. The project was initially envisioned by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who won’t have any delays to his grand vision.
A path 40 meters (130 feet) wide is being cleared through the jungle to make way for the train, and logs are being stacked along the narrow road to hidden archaeological sites. Obrador says he wants the train rolling by the end of this year, when his term ends, calling it a matter of “national security” (it should go without saying that this is a dangerously short timeframe for this kind of project). How a tourist train became a matter of national security escapes me, but this declaration will speed up the environmental and public hearing requirements. Additionally, the Mexican army was put in charge of supervising certain sections of the track, including the one that crosses Calakmul. How convenient.
Once again we’re left to ponder the logic of destroying a beautiful, natural habitat in order to share whatever remaining beauty with as wide an audience as possible.
Side Items
Pray for Palestine: East Palestine, Ohio that is. A 50-car train derailment resulted in a massive fire late Friday night, leaving a mangled and charred mass of boxcars and flames yesterday as authorities launched a federal investigation and monitored air quality for the various hazardous chemicals in the train. Norfolk Southern, the operators of this mess, said that 20 of the more than 100 cars were classified as carrying hazardous materials — generally defined as cargo that could pose any kind of danger. I’m sure this accident has nothing to do with the transparently sadistic understaffing policies funding Norfolk Southern's recent $10 billion stock buyback program
Bursting Balloons at the Beach: When push comes to shove in the international balloon arena, you better believe we shot that sonofabitchin’ balloon right out the sky! Somewhere off the coast of South Carolina, near the toxic waters of Myrtle Beach, the US military shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon yesterday after it traversed several sensitive military sites across North America. China doubled down on their claims that the flyover was simply an accident involving a civilian aircraft and went so far as to threaten repercussions
New Low for Liverpool: The cycle continues. The weekend rolls around so I wake up early to watch Liverpool’s match, they give up a goal in the first five minutes. This weekend it was a 3-0 loss to 16th place Wolves, next week it could be a 4-0 loss to a local Sunday league team. The cycle continues