Around & about in less than an hour; drilling a tunnel through Earth for inter-polar travel.
Areas in yellow show where we can make an “earth sandwich” — where land has an antipodean point which is also on land.
We know, aviation accounts for around 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions, but 3.5% when we take non-CO₂ impacts on climate into account, hence drilling a tunnel through Earth is not only time saving but also betters our environment.
Below are Exact or Almost Exact Antipodal Cities:
Christchurch- New Zealand / A Coruna-Spain
Weber-New Zealand/Madrid-Spain
Wellington-New Zealand/Alaejos- Spain
Hong Kong-China/La Quiaca-Argentina
Nelson-New Zealand/Mogadouro-Portugal
Whangarei-New Zealand/Tangier-Morocco
Hamilton-New Zealand/Cordoba-Spain
Junin-Argentina/Lianyungang-China
Puerto Natales-Chile/Ulan Ude-Russia
Neiva-Colombia/Palembang-Indonesia
Valdivia-Chile/Wuhai-China
Padang-Indonesia/Esmeraldas-Ecuador
Galvez-Argentina/Nanjing-China
I did begin to dig straight down through the center of the earth to come out in China, starting in Chile.
Australia is the only continent without any land-based antipodean points — although Bermuda’s opposite point is just off the shore of Perth, and the Azores are close to the Bass Strait.
The US mainland has little in the way of dry antipodean points — part of Kerguelen, and the Heard and McDonald Islands, although Hawaii is opposite Botswana and some US Outlying territories are opposite Africa.
Europe has antipodean land points in Spain/Portugal (New Zealand), France (Chatham Islands), Norway and Russia (Antartica). The closest antipodean land to the UK is Antipodes Islands, but their opposite point is just off the coast of France near Barfleur in Basse-Normandie.
But if we start from the Pitcairn Islands, a British Overseas Territory, you’ll end up in Saudi Arabia, close to the borders with Bahrain and Quatar.
The antipode can be calculated by understanding the geographic coordinates and applying simple formulas.
Here I used the following variables:
LatO: Latitude at the origin point.
LngO: Longitude at the origin point.
LatA: Latitude at the antipodal point.
LngA: Longitude at the antipodal point.
Step 1: Obtain the geographic coordinates of Baghdad
The DMS coordinates are: 33°20'26.1'’ N 44°24'3.2'’ E .
Calculations are easier by using the decimal format, hence:
LatO = 33.34058°
LngO = 44.40088°
Step 2: Calculate the latitude
LatA = — LatO = -33.34058°
Since the latitude is positive (north direction), the antipode must be negative (south direction).
Step 3: Calculate the longitude
LngA = LngO ± 180° = 44.40088 — 180° = -135.59912°
Since the longitude is positive, we subtract 180° to ensure the final value lies between (-180, 180). If it were the other way around, we would sum 180° for the same reason.
Result:
The antipode of Baghdad is located on coordinates: (LatA, LngA) = (-33.34058, -135.59912)
In DMS format: 33°20'26.1'’ N 44°24'3.2'’ E .
Creating a tunnel through the Earth for inter-polar travel is an achievable concept, and faces a few scientific challenges. The sheer magnitude of constructing a tunnel over 12,000 kilometers poses engineering difficulties, including heat generated by Earth’s core, maintaining structural stability, and addressing gravitational variations.
Moreover, seismic activity along tectonic plate boundaries may compromise the tunnel’s integrity. While theoretical studies have explored the physics of such tunnels, practical implementation remains far-fetched, and should now be explored/examined.
Before investing billions in ambitious space travel projects, addressing Earth-bound transportation issues merits attention.
Air travel, a major contributor to pollution, underscores the urgency for sustainable alternatives. Research supports the need for innovative solutions to reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
While a subterranean tunnel presents engineering hurdles, exploring cleaner and faster modes such as hyperloop technology applied on tunnel travel will be feasible.
In the quest for transformative advancements, it is crucial to prioritize solutions that benefit our planet directly.
Space travel, while captivating, demands colossal financial and technological investments, and its tangible benefits for Earth remain uncertain. Redirecting resources to revolutionize terrestrial transportation not only addresses immediate environmental concerns but also enhances global accessibility.
Air travel’s significant role in climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions emphasizes the need for eco-friendly alternatives.
By steering innovation towards sustainable transportation, we align with scientific consensus on mitigating climate change impacts.
In conclusion, tunnel through the Earth practical challenges can be overcome, by creating a team of engineers, physicists and scientists to solve this challenge, as we navigate the path ahead, striking a balance between vision and realistic solutions essentially for the well-being of our planet.
