218
Road (OBOR) aims to construct a new, modern
Silk Road from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to
the shores of Europe at the Atlantic Ocean
(Jinchen 2016). This would connect 64 countries
on (Silk Road Economic Belt) and off shore
(Maritime Silk Road) and would prove to be a
major investment not only from economic but
cultural points of view as well.
Not only mega-infrastructure enabling the
flow of people and goods are built at a high rate
worldwide but submarine optical and other cables
as well, e.g. from London to Tokyo via the North
Pole or electric cables of solar power plants from
the Sahara to Europe. Although the latter project
slowed down due to technical, financial and political reasons (Hornigold 2017).
In the meantime, air traffic is also further
developed (both passenger and goods transport),
marine transport, connections between large cities and mega-cities. Globally the amount spend
on infrastructure development by the states is
almost double that spent on the military
industry.
Why are all these called new globalisation?
Because the global society achieves such level of
interconnection that in theory every offer could
meet every demand in the world. (It is a different
issue that this is not realised—due to various hindrances—in practice.)
According to Khanna (2016) megainfrastructure is more important in shaping the
spatial structure of the society than political-legal
division. Division according to political space
(according to the state borders occurring on
maps) is replaced by functionally (as space is
truly used) divided space. In the correct way of
thinking countries approach issues functionally:
how to optimise available ground, labour and
capital; how to arrange resources and how to connect them to worldwide markets.
In this way of thinking political borders are
pushed into the background (eliminated practically). Supply chains involving the complete network of connections among producers,
distributors and retailers become decisive. Raw
material and ideas are transformed into products
and services and these become available almost
anywhere via mega-infrastructure. According to
Khanna (2016), the fundamental ordering principles of humanity are not sovereignty and borders but supply chains and interconnectivity in
the twenty-first century. Infrastructural and market integration becomes a much more significant
element of global order than nations.
Infrastructures crossing political borders have
their own life: they are legitimate because they
were accepted by all parties and constructed
together.
Despite the above logical reasoning, the
authors of the present book argue that interconnectivity today would be the prevailing approach
in the thoughts of the political elite of the global
society. Up to now the basis of power has been
occupied land, national governments control the
life of people in the world and the primary source
of loyalty of people is national identity. Political
borders (country borders) are only selectively
crossable and often mark cultural borders as well.
The spatial division of the world has not been
completed yet and with the development of technology the division of the oceanic basement is on
the agenda today.
While it is clear that the ratio of renewable
energy resources in the total energy production
and utilisation increases, interest of countries in
the hidden resources of fossil fuels has not
ceased. Potential deposits are wanted to be occupied by many. This can be explained by the forecast that despite technological improvement,
until the middle of the twenty-first century vehicles fuelled by oil-products (cars, airplanes) will
dominate in traffic and traditional metals (steel,
aluminium) will be required for the production of
numerous products.
Enormous reserves of oil, natural gas and metallic ores could be stored in the seabed (Miller et al.
2018). Technological development enables the
recovery of mineral resources from seabed at the
end of the twentieth century. Several hundred oil
drilling rigs operate in the Gulf of Mexico where
crude oil is produced from a depth of 1500 m
(ultradeep water) (World Ocean Review 2014).
The general demand of seashore countries for
seabed mineral resources started with exploration
nearshore (12 nautical miles) and then in farther
areas as well. The term exclusive economic zone
5 Structure and Operation of the Global Society (Anthroposphere)
Road (OBOR) aims to construct a new, modern
Silk Road from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to
the shores of Europe at the Atlantic Ocean
(Jinchen 2016). This would connect 64 countries
on (Silk Road Economic Belt) and off shore
(Maritime Silk Road) and would prove to be a
major investment not only from economic but
cultural points of view as well.
Not only mega-infrastructure enabling the
flow of people and goods are built at a high rate
worldwide but submarine optical and other cables
as well, e.g. from London to Tokyo via the North
Pole or electric cables of solar power plants from
the Sahara to Europe. Although the latter project
slowed down due to technical, financial and political reasons (Hornigold 2017).
In the meantime, air traffic is also further
developed (both passenger and goods transport),
marine transport, connections between large cities and mega-cities. Globally the amount spend
on infrastructure development by the states is
almost double that spent on the military
industry.
Why are all these called new globalisation?
Because the global society achieves such level of
interconnection that in theory every offer could
meet every demand in the world. (It is a different
issue that this is not realised—due to various hindrances—in practice.)
According to Khanna (2016) megainfrastructure is more important in shaping the
spatial structure of the society than political-legal
division. Division according to political space
(according to the state borders occurring on
maps) is replaced by functionally (as space is
truly used) divided space. In the correct way of
thinking countries approach issues functionally:
how to optimise available ground, labour and
capital; how to arrange resources and how to connect them to worldwide markets.
In this way of thinking political borders are
pushed into the background (eliminated practically). Supply chains involving the complete network of connections among producers,
distributors and retailers become decisive. Raw
material and ideas are transformed into products
and services and these become available almost
anywhere via mega-infrastructure. According to
Khanna (2016), the fundamental ordering principles of humanity are not sovereignty and borders but supply chains and interconnectivity in
the twenty-first century. Infrastructural and market integration becomes a much more significant
element of global order than nations.
Infrastructures crossing political borders have
their own life: they are legitimate because they
were accepted by all parties and constructed
together.
Despite the above logical reasoning, the
authors of the present book argue that interconnectivity today would be the prevailing approach
in the thoughts of the political elite of the global
society. Up to now the basis of power has been
occupied land, national governments control the
life of people in the world and the primary source
of loyalty of people is national identity. Political
borders (country borders) are only selectively
crossable and often mark cultural borders as well.
The spatial division of the world has not been
completed yet and with the development of technology the division of the oceanic basement is on
the agenda today.
While it is clear that the ratio of renewable
energy resources in the total energy production
and utilisation increases, interest of countries in
the hidden resources of fossil fuels has not
ceased. Potential deposits are wanted to be occupied by many. This can be explained by the forecast that despite technological improvement,
until the middle of the twenty-first century vehicles fuelled by oil-products (cars, airplanes) will
dominate in traffic and traditional metals (steel,
aluminium) will be required for the production of
numerous products.
Enormous reserves of oil, natural gas and metallic ores could be stored in the seabed (Miller et al.
2018). Technological development enables the
recovery of mineral resources from seabed at the
end of the twentieth century. Several hundred oil
drilling rigs operate in the Gulf of Mexico where
crude oil is produced from a depth of 1500 m
(ultradeep water) (World Ocean Review 2014).
The general demand of seashore countries for
seabed mineral resources started with exploration
nearshore (12 nautical miles) and then in farther
areas as well. The term exclusive economic zone
5 Structure and Operation of the Global Society (Anthroposphere)