Dubai, memorably home to a ski-slope in the desert, does not have a reputation for environmental friendliness. Neighbour Abu Dhabi has garnered more green plaudits so far, with its carbon-neutral Masdar City and new solar power plant. But Dubai is pioneering a distinctly different route to sustainability, driven by its hard-headed business culture.
During the boom from 2001 to 2008, Dubai’s electricity demand grew at 10 per cent or more annually. In the last year before the crash – 2007 – it soared by a remarkable 17 per cent. It was a considerable achievement that the city did not suffer the power cuts that continue to bedevil neighbouring Sharjah. But with its oil production declining to modest levels and nearly all its gas imported from Abu Dhabi and Qatar, Dubai’s energy fate was no longer in its own hands.
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