City of Masdar, page 1

Yes, I've read about Masdar. If it's on the level, it's about time. The UAE is a nation of, not just conspicuous consumers, but conspicuous wasters. I lived there for a few years around the turn of the century. It was appalling - catalytic converters and other emission-reducing equipment on motor vehicles was unheard of, petrol was cheaper than water and brand-new abandoned Mercedeses and Lexuses were abandoned in parking lots, covered in dust. Recycling and energy saving were despised and everything, from a private cookout to the opening of a new hotel or property development was on a Croesan scale. Artificial snow, ski-slopes and ice rinks were wildly popular.

So if they've learnt better, good for them. I doubt it, though; I have a feeling Masdar will attain its wonderful environmental credentials by exporting its carbon and other waste beyond the city limits, to join the already-existing mountains of waste that are incinerated every day in giant furnaces in the desert whose fumes turn the sky black for miles in all directions.

Read the truth about the UAE and the environment in this news article.