1869 AND 1914 were two significant dates for world trade. The first was the opening of the Suez Canal so bringing Europe much closer to the Asian colonial territories, and Australia, and then a hundred years ago the Panama Canal slashed the distance, by sea, from the east coast of the United States to California and the Pacific.

One might expect that to be enough in these days of air travel and instantaneous internet communication, but it is not so. Modern oil tankers, liquid gas vessels, ore and coal carriers, container ships and aircraft carriers are now too large to use these canals, and it’s a problem with the expansion of trade from China to the Mexican Gulf and East coasts of the United States, and across to Europe.

The answer is possibly another larger canal, through Nicaragua, just north of Costa Rica, and the ambition is being driven by Hong Kong developers. The intention was for construction to begin this December, with completion by the end of the decade, but the start has been delayed. A closer inspection of the proposal suggests it’s beset with difficulties, and they’re not all environmental.

It could be that the Panama Canal has stolen a march on this scheme with its own expansion project that has been under construction for the last six years. It’s expected to be completed by next Easter when this century old canal will have doubled its capacity, by increasing the width and depth to allow the passage of larger vessels.

The physical problems for the Nicaraguan proposal are considerable with the length being more than double that of the Panama Canal, and the need for more locks to cross higher ground. The real concerns, though, are for the effect it will have on the natural habitats of the North Yorkshire sized Lake Nicaragua that it passes through, and on the many endangered species that will be put at risk.

The proposal seems to be part of the modern day economic colonisation of parts of South America and Africa by Chinese industrial interests to ensure access to raw materials and markets. This expansion involves the building of roads, canals, railways and ports, rather than subjugation by military force, and in the case of the Nicaraguan canal, the developers will have a lease for 100 years and control of the new ports at either end.

These large scale developments, both at home and abroad, guarantee more CO2 with all the cement used in construction, and from the additional economic growth and exploitation of resources using shipping with unregulated fuel. Our planet deserves a less greedy species.