The growth of Dubai has been the envy of the other Emirates, but it has also taken its toll on the environment. Desalination plants that make the water drinkable emit so much carbon dioxide that the U.A.E. leaves one of the largest carbon footprints in the world. “Growth has been so intense and enormous, but people forgot about the environment,” Jean-François Seznec, a Middle East expert and professor at Georgetown University in Washington, told the New York Times. “The attitude was, business comes first. Now, they are seeing increased problems, and they realize they have to be careful.”9 That awareness is extending to design. Wanting to lead by example, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce began retrofitting the Chamber of Commerce with sustainability in mind in 1999, before there was widespread understanding of the importance of sustainability. In 2009, it became the first building in the Arab world to achieve LEED certification.10 The effort “. . .demonstrates the Chamber’s commitment to conserving resources and implementing best practices, and reinforces our strategic objectives of creating a favourable business environment for the Emirate, supporting the development of business and promoting Dubai as an international business hub,” said HE Eng Hamad Buamim, director general of the Chamber.11
Indeed, some say the ideas of sustainability are imbedded in Islam. Sigrid Nökelm, a sociologist who has studied Islam, says “Khilafa refers to the idea of mankind as trustee of creation. It is the duty of mankind to maintain the order of creation. The fruits of the earth are to be enjoyed, but its resources must not be wastefully exploited.” The research she did for the Munich-based foundation Stiftung Interkultur shows that “Muslims who take religion seriously express the view that religion demands ‘respect for nature’ which then prompts them to actions in their everyday lives.”12
