The video explores the technique known as desert greening in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), transforming vast desert areas into green landscapes. A critical approach given the country's extreme water scarcity, the UAE relies on cloud seeding to increase rainfall and groundwater reserves, an initiative that began in the early 2000s in collaboration with international partners. Desert greening is part of a broader effort to combat desertification and land degradation—issues that significantly impact the Middle East and regions globally.

The UAE has also invested in afforestation, with initiatives like the "1 million trees" project aimed at replenishing plant life in the desert. This is designed to enhance soil productivity and make the harsh desert environment more livable. However, challenges such as land allocation for other developments, like megaprojects, pose threats to these green initiatives. Despite setbacks, the UAE continues to move forward with a green agenda aimed at stronger ecological sustainability by 2030.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. desertification [dɪˌzɜːrtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən] - (noun) - The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. - Synonyms: (land degradation, aridification, erosion)

The UAE has tried to combat desertification, which is a land that is no longer productive because it cant support plant growth.

2. afforestation [æˌfɔːrɪˈsteɪʃən] - (noun) - The process of planting trees in an area where there were no trees before, to create a forest. - Synonyms: (reforestation, forestation, planting)

Long before skyscrapers and bustling cities, the UAE had a history of planting trees in areas that lacked them, a process called afforestation.

3. cloud seeding [klaʊd ˈsiːdɪŋ] - (noun) - A form of weather modification that involves dispersing substances into the atmosphere to encourage rain. - Synonyms: (weather modification, rain induction, atmospheric enhancement)

To continue to support its increasing development and growing population, the UAE government invested more than $20 million in research to start a process called cloud seeding.

4. opulence [ˈɒpjʊləns] - (noun) - Great wealth or luxuriousness. - Synonyms: (luxury, richness, grandeur)

And for all the UAEs opulence, this may be its most valuable investment yet.

5. meteorology [ˌmiːtiəˈrɒlədʒi] - (noun) - The science that deals with the atmosphere and its phenomena, including weather and climate. - Synonyms: (weather science, climatology, atmospheric science)

And its all controlled in this building, the national centre of meteorology in Abu Dhabi, where they track the whole process.

6. degradation [ˌdiːɡrəˈdeɪʃən] - (noun) - The condition or process of being degraded or being worn down. - Synonyms: (deterioration, decline, degeneration)

So the decrease in arable land is primarily due to land degradation.

7. capita [ˈkæpɪtə] - (noun) - Per head or per person, often used in statistics giving an average per individual. - Synonyms: (per person, each individual, headcount basis)

The entire Gulf region could face a 50% reduction in water availability per capita by 2050.

8. arable [ˈærəbl] - (adjective) - Of land, able to be used for growing crops. - Synonyms: (cultivable, farmable, productive)

So the decrease in arable land is primarily due to land degradation.

9. tranquil [ˈtræŋkwɪl] - (adjective) - Free from disturbance; calm. - Synonyms: (peaceful, serene, still)

But in the last 50 years, what was once a large desert and a tranquil fishing port has evolved into an urban metropolis.

10. agenda [əˈdʒɛndə] - (noun) - A list or plan of things to be considered or done. - Synonyms: (program, schedule, plan)

But in January 2015, the UAE cabinet approved the UAE green agenda for 2030, aimed at building a green economy.

Can cloud seeding make the UAE's desert green?

In the sprawling deserts of the United Arab Emirates, there are huge areas of greenery emerging amidst the golden sands. This transformation is not some natural phenomenon, but it's by design. It's called desert greening. And for all the UAEs opulence, this may be its most valuable investment yet. The United nations estimated that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living with absolute water scarcity. If you don't have water for people, animals, plant communities, as a nation, you will really struggle, especially in desert countries. Increasingly, lack of water due to climate change is resulting in less secure water. And the Middle east is home to twelve of the 17 world's most water stressed countries. The UAE receives less than 200 rainfall each year. To put that into context, London soaked up an average of 1051 rain in 2022, while Singapore drenched in a whopping 3012 mm during the same year. So as one can imagine, ensuring enough water for the UAES population is a real challenge.

To continue to support its increasing development and growing population, the UAE government invested more than $20 million in research to start a process called cloud seeding. cloud seeding enhances the rain in the cloud. The main objective of that to increase the storage of the groundwater. It was direct order from his Highness Sheikh Mansoor. When did this start? It was late 2000 and early 2001. We were partnered with the National Atmospheric research in the United States. The entire Gulf region could face a 50% reduction in water availability per capita by 2050. The UAE has tried to combat desertification, which is a land that is no longer productive because it cant support plant growth. The Emirates spans over 83,000. Around 80% is desert. Its estimated that 75% of our planets land is already degraded. These lands have become deserts or are uninhabitable. About 12 million land is lost around the world each year as a direct consequence of drought and desertification. The World bank estimates the Emirates has lost almost 33,000 land from 2002 to 2018.

So the decrease in arable land is primarily due to land degradation. So this impacts over 3 billion people. And people that live in desert and dry land. Ecosystems that cover nearly half of the globe are particularly vulnerable to the loss of arable land and land degradation. But in the last 50 years, what was once a large desert and a tranquil fishing port has evolved into an urban metropolis. Long before skyscrapers and bustling cities, the UAE had a history of planting trees in areas that lacked them, a process called afforestation. What we're seeing across the world, especially some of the countries that have significant desert systems, is efforts to green the desert, which means bringing in trees, other plant communities to increase, as the initiatives say, the greenness of the deserts.

Take a look at these satellite images of the UAE in the 1980s and present day, the countrys late president sought to provide permanent homes for nomadic bedouins in the parched desert. His dreams set the stage for a nations ambitious endeavour and their leaders knew that trees could help with the fight against desertification. About two decades ago, the 1 million trees initiative was announced by the ruler of Dubai. The plan was to plant 200 250,000 trees every year in collaboration with the Dubai Police Academy. It wasn't long before groves of olives, palms and the resilient graphs. The national tree of the UAE painted the once empty land with life.

When you are planting some of those trees, you can dig different holes to capture water and engineer the landscape so those trees that you're bringing in will be able to survive. And so that's critically important is that it's not only the types of trees that you're bringing in or in the types of plants you're bringing in for these afforestation projects, but also how you engineer the landscape to be able to receive those plants and that they are able to survive. A tree nursery for the 1 million trees initiative was created, spanning more than 130,000 m². But challenges loomed large over green dreams. Behold mall of the world, a mega shopping center project. It was said that Dubai, holding the investment vehicle of the Emirates ruler, would require $6.8 billion to build that entertainment district. Could you guess where they wanted to build this megaproject? None other than the very land the tree nursery once thrived.

And just like that, the project fell through and thousands of trees withered away and died. But in January 2015, the UAE cabinet approved the UAE green agenda for 2030, aimed at building a green economy. Plants are this a miracle worker in terms of pulling carbon dioxide. So you see a lot of engineering approaches to think about how we pull greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. But plants by themselves are one of the best tools that we have. The UAE is not alone in its quest to green the desert. Other countries like China, have followed the same path as seen in a desert called kubuchi, in the countrys inner Mongolia autonomous region.

In 1988, a chinese company partnered with the Beijing government to build solar farms and other renewable energy projects. Three decades later, and one third of kubuchi is green, preventing dunes from encroaching on farms. The United Nations Environment Program estimated the Kabuchi project cost $1.8 billion over 50 years. Beijing is a proponent of cloud seeding technology. They use it to manipulate weather, to protect farming areas and to guarantee clear skies for key events. The UAE performs around 1000 hours of cloud seeding to enhance rainfall in just one year. And its all controlled in this building, the national centre of meteorology in Abu Dhabi, where they track the whole process. We met with a cloud seeding expert to explain how the seeding process works. We wait the forecast. When we have a good chance for cloud, we send the aircraft to that location. It go under the cloud.

In the first stage of the cloud, there is good updraft. At that time start to release all the salt. And with the good updraft, of course it will go inside the cloud and start to condensate and the droplets will become bigger and start to rain. The sensor manufactures a salt substance that helps enhance rainfall. They put them in what they call flares. Operation 219. We also spoke to one of the weather forecasters. He explains how the operations work. We align our pilots to be on the airports and tell them when to be at the airport. So as expected, we wait for the clouds to appear on the radar and there we have our pilots talking to us.

Let me know if there is any updrafts in your area. This is a sample plane here at the National center of meteorology. But the real planes fly out from the runways in Ala'ain. We have around 110 automatic weather stations. It gives us data, like meteorological data, every 15 minutes. The information on the screen tracks wind speed and direction, while satellite imagery monitors clouds to track fog and dust. Anything passing over the country. We can see it from the satellite, especially like the clouds. And this is the map of the UAE.

But is the UAE seeing results from their efforts over the years to create a greener country? So we have different ways of either increase the water or save the water. We have, you know, the desalination we have using plantation that doesn't take much water. There are many ways. One of the ways is cloud seeding. Is there any success in terms of more greenery around the UAE because of cloud seeding efforts? So UAE is expanding on the agriculture and also we were expanding too much before. We have to do a plantation with study.

Plantation costs a lot of water. We can control this water and not to use it as a waste. According to the World bank, climate related water scarcity will cost the region up to 6% of their GDP by 2050. As we green landscapes, this results in healthier people, not only healthier landscapes. Greening landscapes impacts the well being the mental health of people, the physical health of people in terms of air that they're breathing. In a region expected to be most impacted by warming temperatures, the time has never been more important than now to find alternative ways of maintaining life in the desert.

Green Economy, Afforestation, Cloud Seeding, Environment, Technology, Global, Cnbc International