Sustainability in Dubai

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates, and is recognized as one of the fastest growing cities in the world. This rapid urbanization has led to many environmental issues because of the harsh environment, paucity of local resources such as food, water, and building materials, and the unplanned manner of expansion.

Water

One major environmental issue in Dubai is potential water shortage. Dubai is among the cities with the lowest levels of precipitation. At the same time, the emirate is ranked among the top three countries in water usage, alongside the United States and Canada. Due to this fundamental conflict, water in Dubai comes mainly from energy-intensive desalination of sea water.[1][2]

Energy

Dubai is a major consumer of electricity. Their main source of electricity is natural gas because it is cheaper than the other alternatives. Many of the isolated buildings depend on large quantities of fossil fuel energy to support their large lighting and cooling needs.[3]

Development

Among the biggest problems facing Dubai is its rapid, unplanned manner of expansion.[4]

Future problems

In the future, global warming will become a bigger issue and this could be a huge problem for Dubai because the country’s population centres are located along the coast. As sea levels rise, this could lead to flooding.

References

  1. ↑ Dubai: The Nemesis of Sustainability | Intercon
  2. ↑ Hackley, Randall (23 September 2013). "Desalination Plants Supply 98.8% of Dubai's Water, Forum is Told".
  3. ↑ Dubai Experiments with Sustainable Development | Carboun: Advocating Sustainable Cities in the Middle East
  4. ↑ Hari, Johann (7 April 2009). "The dark side of Dubai". The Independent.

Further reading

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