The iconic Burj al-Arab, the only seven star hotel in the world, with its sail-like architecture, is leading the way in the worldwide Earth Hour blackout. Many other Dubai businesses, shopping malls and municipalities are flicking the switch or dimming the lights.

Interestingly, the Dubai Racing Club is bang smack in the middle of its biggest carnival of the year and the organizers are not prepared to have their 55,000 race goers watching the ‘richest horse race in the world’ in pitch darkness.

Linking With the World
The Earth Hour each year is taking on greater importance in the United Arab Emirates. It is an opportunity for this young and vibrant nation to show itself as a key player on the world stage at a time when many Arab nations have given such global events a miss.

Highest Energy Consumer
The UAE has changed from being a desert country with a few fishing villages to a rich nation in only a few decades. During this expansion it has built skyscrapers and business towers in a gung-ho manner and has been blind to the growth of pollution and the environmental cost of its rapid development. The huge Mall of the Emirates where one can ski down the indoor snow slopes while outdoors it feels like a furnace is symbolic of the high energy consumption of Dubai’s development. Because this country is home to some of the richest oil reserves in the world it has tended to be complacent about burning barrels of oil in its own backyard.

World Record in Consumption
Unfortunately, this record-breaking country that is aiming to have the world’s tallest building, the richest marathon and the best in every other field, now has the dubious reputation of having the world’s largest ‘global footprint’.

In a country that has scored a FAIL on its Report Card on ‘Caring for the Environment’, with its high energy consumption and inadequate waste management, turning off the switches during Earth Hour is an opportunity to help the world notice that the UAE has seen the light.

Image Credit: Middle-East-Online

Richest Horse Race
For a country that lusts after world records, it is no surprise that the Dubai Cup (the red ribbon event) is ‘the richest horse race in the world’. The prize of $6 million is part of a total $21 million at stake in prize money.

Not a Good Bet!
There is no betting at horse races as gambling is illegal in the Emirates. But gambling is not entirely non-existent as race goers can buy raffle tickets to win the latest Bentley Continental or a Range Rover.

Check out the score card with horses, trainers and jockeys and pick out your winner for Race 7—the Dubai World Cup Emirates Airline. The hot favorite is the American heavyweight ‘Curlin’ but many locals are backing ‘Jalil’ from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Goldolphin stable.

Fashion Extravaganza
Horse racing is merely the sideshow to the more prominent fashion competitions. Will all the contestants be wearing black, abayas and burqas? No, there will be a range of fashion garments on the catwalk and at a fashion curtain raiser earlier this month several women paraded in trendy, ornate abayas, not the plain ‘body bag’ design.

Emirates Hospitality
While gambling is banned at a Dubai Race meet, alcohol flows freely. Even last year when the Dubai Derby coincided with the Prophet’s birthday, a special dispensation was given by the Ruler to allow the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. While race events in the Emirates can proceed without betting they cannot proceed well without race goers being able to imbibe from the magnums of fine champagne.

The Weather and the Track
The weather is always hot in the Emirates and the track hard. The harsh conditions have led several horses to break down in the lead up this year. Top South African trainer, Mike de Kock, has taken to putting his horses on treadmills instead of exercising them on the track.

This racing carnival reaches back to the traditional Arab horsemen but it also illustrates yet another way that the UAE is being changed by globalization.