Aiming Low

“At the lowest place on Earth, watch how the sea disappears.”
(Who Killed the Dead Sea? / Yankele Rotblit)

The Dead Sea, a remarkable and unparalleled landscape once nominated as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, is today an environment in severe decline. The diversion of 95% of its inflows and large-scale industrial pumping on both sides of the border have caused the water level to drop by nearly one meter each year, triggering sinkholes, collapsing roads, and the destruction of tourism infrastructure. In a broader perspective, the ecological degradation of the Dead Sea reflects global challenges of climate change and the overexploitation of natural resources. Its geopolitical position—straddling the borders of the West Bank, Israel, and Jordan—further underscores the complexity of competing interests over the control, use, and exploitation of these shared resources.

Over the years, a number of master plans have been proposed, yet they have remained partial and static—focused mainly on prohibitions and restrictions—while disregarding the region’s constant transformations and failing to address the wider context. The expiration of the Dead Sea Works concession in 2030 creates a pivotal moment to reconsider the area’s future and opens a rare window of opportunity for change.

The project “Aiming Low” proposes developing a methodology for designing an adaptive, dynamic master plan that responds to the rapid transformations shaping the region. The year 2030 represents a critical opportunity for action. The project aims to confront the complex issues emerging from the landscape, broaden perspective through a basin-wide approach, and foster regional cooperation toward the creation of a Dead Sea Biosphere Reserve. Framing the region as a biosphere will serve as a guiding principle for the plan and help lay the foundation for future international recognition and support.