A tropical sun slides into the sea behind the palm trees and white sand of Jumeirah beach. As darkness falls, the lights of offshore construction machinery emerge a few hundred metres offshore. Elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf, this would indicate round-the-clock work on offshore oilrigs. Dubai has some oil and gas, but they contribute barely 6% of its economic output and are due to run out in about ten years. Contrast that with a fellow member of the seven-state United Arab Emirates (UAE) federation, Abu Dhabi, which sits on the world's fourth-largest oilfield. Dubai has been wisely using its oil and gas income over the years to invest in a different sort of future, replacing hydrocarbons with people as it has expanded to be the tourism and business hub of a region where 1.5 billion people are within two hours' flying time.
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