Postcard from... Dubai

“Fake Plastic Trees” is best known as an apocalyptic song by Radiohead. But here in Dubai they may soon be springing up in numbers.

That’s because the Middle East’s first “Smart Palm” has been unveiled in Zabeel Park. Shaped like a palm tree and plonked in one of Dubai’s largest outdoor spaces, the white, 6m-high, solar-powered structure offers battery-bereft visitors power sockets and high-speed wi-fi. Dubai plans 52 such “Smart Palms” across its beaches and parks by the end of the year.

The initiative is the emirate’s latest attempt to equip itself for the future ever since the father of the current ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, decreed that it should create an economy that could outlast its oil supplies.

The last time I was here, in 2008, Dubai, whose offerings include an indoor ski dome and a culture of 24-7 air conditioning, showed little regard for the environment. Nuclear energy was then considered the power of the future. Eight years on solar power is on the agenda and sustainability is finally being addressed.

But at what cost to the region’s already garish sense of aesthetics? If the emergence of fake plastic trees is anything to go by, it could be a high one indeed.