We could balk about the price of crazy cat poop Kopi Luwak coffee, or people who pay thousands to eat a pea at a Michelin star restaurant, or those who pay to sit in an ice lounge. But “sustainable” artisanal ice from ancient glaciers in Greenland is now being sold in Dubai takes the cake. Are you listening Greta Thunberg?
A local entrepreneur from Dubai bought 22 tonnes of a Greenland glacier and hauled it 15,000 miles to Dubai over 9 weeks where he is intent on selling artisanal ice. With almost zero dissolved solids this ancient ice may be the purest on earth, but even in excessive Dubai which built the world’s tallest skyscraper Burj and which is now building a 400 gate airport, to be the the largest in the world, this ice is more than excessive. And reflects on the ecological bankruptcy of the Middle East.
Like the indoor ski slope in Dubai, which is home to a colony of penguins, selling glacier ice involves an exorbitant energy expenditure.
“It’s the purest water on earth,” Samir Ben Tabib, chairman of international relations for Arctic Ice speaking with Esquire Middle East. The ice, he says, will be sold to bars and restaurants in Dubai as well as beauty salons who treat the skin with ice cubes.
Tabib intends to deal only with venues whose profile matches the exclusivity of the ice. F&B managers at Atlantis The Royal and Burj Al Arab should probably expect a phone call, he notes.
Consider that “officially” Muslims do not drink alcohol (read here why) so who will be buying expensive ice for their cocktails? Maybe mocktails?
On a social media post Arctic Ice claims it will be bringing business opportunities to Greenland.The company writes: “We believe in this project, in its ability to shift the currents in Greenland. We believe in a sustainable future for our country and in an abundance of premium products for the world to experience. This is the mindset with which we work day and night to get our people on the map and our ice in your glass ???❤️”
A reader Aleksandra Yermak writes: “Seriously : “new ways of using natural resources” ?! Because there’s not enough of it worldwide ? Guys. This is nuts. I’m aware of the economic situation in Groenland, but still… I don’t get it ! The planet is freaking burning.”
The United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s largest oil producers and home to seven so-called “carbon bombs,” the world’s largest fossil fuel production projects. Air pollution and climate change are directly linked, as the burning of fossil fuels contributes to air pollution and drives climate change. We are hoping for better ideas from the UAE’s fossil fuel wealth.
For the love of falcons, to step up to the plate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
More bizarre news from the Middle East:
7 of the Saddest Wildlife Stories in the Middle East
Kuwaiti Kills Wolf Then Shows Off
1 Million Migrating Songbirds are Killed for a Pickled Dish in Cyprus
