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The sheiks and engineers behind the evolution of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), know how to think outside the box. In their case, there seems to be no box and with a seemingly endless amount of money and the attention of some the world’s richest inhabitants, the UAE continues to amaze with its emerging skylines and dancing cranes but its neighbours seem to be following closely behind. A Dubai-based developer, with the permission of the president of Yemen and the president of African nation Djibouti, will connect the Middle East to Africa by a 28.5km bridge over the Red sea. The project will carry a six-lane motorway and railway and is said to have the full support of both presidents, at an estimated cost of up to US$70 billion. A bridge that connects the Middle East to Africa is an astonishing thought. As the world continues to globalise, one can desensitise to the merging of the world’s cultures but when there is news of connecting continents by a 28km bridge, it cannot be helped to think – what next? The bridge will not only be an engineering feat but a symbol of the world in which we live in – one where technology, imagination and money can make anything possible. Yes trade and economy will benefit from this but what about the environment?