Much ink has been spilled over the news that Abu Dhabi being awarded the headquarters for the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), and rightfully so. The new organization will be yet another mark on the world map for the emirate. But how will it change the country’s attitude towards actually embracing a “green” lifestyle?

I admit I was skeptical of its chances after it was announced that Abu Dhabi was actively pursuing the headquarters. For one, it was vying for Irena against Germany, a country in which I was regaled with many tales of its environmental stewardship during my time pursuing an environmental engineering degree. Secondly, aside from its lofty aspirations of building Masdar City, a planned carbon-neutral city and the “most ambitious sustainable development in the world today”, Abu Dhabi is known primarily as an oil exporter and less so as a “green” hub.

Diplomatic lobbying and logical reasoning certainly helped secure Irena in the UAE, the first major UN affiliated organization that will be headquartered in the Arab world. And while it is important that Abu Dhabi makes a conscious push towards becoming an environmental sustainable hub, it’s hard to see much progress happening right now.

Coming from a country which pioneered recycling, it always distresses me to keep throwing out recyclable materials because there are no proper disposal bins around. In fact, there has not been much of a word of a new recycling bins since they were announced this past March. The only true recycling depot in the city is apparently at Spinney’s, a supermarket which caters to the western expatriate crowd.

I haven’t taken much public transportation, and while the bus system is doing well and everyone is looking forward to Dubai’s upcoming metro lines, the UAE is firmly a car culture. The country is not pedestrian-friendly, always having to dodge speeding and undisciplined cars, and the idea of covering the city in bike lanes is instantly dismissed given the soaring temperatures.

Water usage and bottled imports remains high, largely in part due to our proximity to the desert, and the rising cost of desalinating sea water. And the tap water is said to be harmful, at least to one’s scalp, evidenced by the amount of brand-name shampoo bottles at a local supermarket which are said to “prevent the loss of hair from falling out”. Don’t even get me started on McDonald’s, which seems to use the reminants of styrofoam packaging in their meals decades since it went out of style back in North America.

The result is a hazy, un-green lifestyle which it appears everyone living here has become resigned to. It is an unfortunate situation. But, like everything I’ve seen here, there is long-term hope, which I’ve mentioned above. Public and educational campaigns should be the norm, never mind the Heroes of the UAE campaign which I don’t feel drives the message home enough. Back home, a mix of scare tactics and economic realities helped persuade the public that environmental conservation is the right way to go.

It’s too bad that it might take the landing of a prestigious international energy organization to possibly open the eyes of a nation towards a true environmental attitude shift. But, if it truly is the catalyst for change, well, all the better. Just as long as I can find a green bin to recycle my paper, glassware and plastics in.