UAE seeks global role with Renewable Energy Agency
Posted on 29 June 2009 with no comments from readers
The United States has thrown its weight behind the UAE bid to host the International Renewable Energy Agency which is due to be voted on today in Washington. If successful this could be the start of several more bids for global institutions and events.
Dubai has just established a committee to examine the feasibility of holding the World Expo and Olympic Games in 2020. From a practical standpoint the World Expo is the more likely event as the summer heat of the Persian Gulf is a major natural impediment to a successful Olympics.
Too hot?
In Beijing athletes already complained of the oppressive summer heat which can easily top 40C in Dubai. Doubtless the provision of indoor air-conditioned facilities will be reviewed but a 26-mile indoor marathon is probably even beyond the ingenuity of Dubai which already has a year-round ski slope.
The World Expo is a different matter. Dubai is already famed for the Dubai World Trade Centre and its exhibition complex. There are also plans to build a much larger venue at the new Maktoum International Airport, and that would be an appropriate site for a massive event like the World Expo.
Perhaps the Dubai feasibility committee should also look at whether a joint-UAE bid with Abu Dhabi might be more appropriate for either or both events, assuming the climatic issues can be overcome. Certainly a competition between the emirates for these events should be avoided, while sharing the considerable cost might be deemed prudent.
Typical vision
It is somewhat typical of the UAE to see bold and visionary plans amid the current global gloom and doom, and the immediate local economic prospects do not appear particularly bright with a spectacular slump in property prices and looming over-supply.
However, such vision is what built the UAE in the first place and its rulers have never shied away from bold objectives. Winning the International Renewable Energy Agency or the World Expo or Olympic Games should be seen in this context of visionary leadership, and looking forward when others are struggling to see the road ahead is a commendable virtue for business or government.
