Your comments were most welcome, at the same time it appears to be just student like bantering and not something that was well researched, my blog is about living in Dubai, I am just reporting the facts and you certainly seem to have stepped on your own tail. In my article I never disagreed that there is beauty in the desert and it is enjoyable. I live just a stone throw away from the desert and I do appreciate its beauty. Desertification is a major environmental problem and Desert greening is something many scientists are breaking their head over. Which plants are really native to Dubai is subject to argument because hundreds of thousands of years ago middle east was a lush green forest and many of the plants that you have in your country could have propagated from here. Irrigation system in Dubai uses sewage water and it does not place any additional stress on Dubai’s water resources (if there was any!!), and not everyone enjoys Shisha (BTW it is banned to smoke shisha in parks), I deplore your prejudice to say that I assumed there is beauty in perfection I never assumed this I am just enjoying what is available to me without complaining. I welcome you to read my posts with an open mind and ask you to step out of your Utopian world so you might enjoy the world better.

Upon stumbling across your article, “Green Dubai, I was disappointed to discover an overall lack of consciousness. While you are correct in mentioning the drip irrigation system is water-efficient, you neglected to mention the big picture problem at hand—landscaping in the desert, especially with non-native plants, places more water stress on a country that already has high water stress. Some of the underlying assumptions of your post are that there is beauty in perfection and that the environment exists solely for utilitarian value. I would argue that Dubai can be beautiful without the non-native landscaping, and to embrace such a thing is not really celebrating Dubai at all. There is beauty in the desert, the way the sand glides over the dunes and plants creating ripples, and in sharing shay and shisha with friends under a clear night sky. Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but has your vision become so clouded that you cannot critically think about why Dubai has more plants than cities in tropical countries or the impact of your activities? I implore you to take more trips out of your well-manicured parks and routine to open your eyes to Dubai’s high-impact green efforts and beauty—like Masdar City, the first Biodiesel Plant, efficient metro system, CNG stations, the Shelter—and to challenge yourself by stepping outside of your comfort zone. By default, people tend to search for the familiar in unfamiliar places but you might be surprised what you find if you venture further.

Iberia

Thanks for the input, I hadn’t heard of AURELIA until you pointed out. This weekend I am definitely checking it out..

Mystic.