Death in the desert How Dubai let a million trees perish

It all began so beautifully, with the ruler of Dubai photographed planting the first tree of his ambitious environmental initiative, as smiling officials applauded.

In 2010, the One Million Trees initiative was announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai. The aim was to increase green areas in Dubai through afforestation, while contributing to overall beautification of the city.

There would be a nursery for the young trees on land, contributed