LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

Every country in the seven continents that makes the world was once referred to as a developing country at the early stage of development. But the development and the progress or speed of development depends on the type of leader the country is blessed with. However, it can be established that "development" is dependent on "leadership." Leadership is a position of responsibility, a call to serve. Where there is leadership, followers must definitely be involved.

Who is a good leader? A good leader is someone that sees his position as an opportunity to serve his followers. A good leader is a selfless individual, a person who is always ready to attend to pressing issues in his contemporary society and a visionary person; irrespective of gender. Dubai was once a developing country in the early days but today Dubai is a place almost everybody wants to go for summer, relaxation, shopping, and business. Developments that took place in Dubai didn't just happen without somebody initiating the change. It was not something beyond the imagination of humans; it was not metaphysical, it started with the leadership of Dubai with the discovery of natural resources.

This discovery of crude oil and the revenue generated from the sale of it, coupled with the outstanding policies and budgets, established by the crowned princes of Dubai to develop the country made Dubai a place to be. However, recent discoveries suggest that crude oil production, their major source of revenue would depreciate to an unbearable minimum. This is sad news, I guess? What was done?

        Sheik Mohhammed Bin Rashad Al Maktoun, a visionary leader, born on July 15, 1949 became the

Prime Minister of Dubai in 2006. With his outstanding foresight, he came up with the idea of the Burl Al Arab hotel, the tallest hotel ever built. According to research  his idea was born out of declination in crude oil production. His idea was another alternative to generate revenue for the country if eventually oil wells in Dubai run dry and the revenue generated is channeled to developing other sectors of the economy. Today, Dubai is a commercial place that holds variety of opportunities.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO FOSSIL FUEL

       For centuries, a high percentage of the world’s population are dependent on fossil fuel, a non-renewable energy, as source of energy. Fossil fuels are the accumulation of remains of prehistoric plants and animals

that decompose over millions of years to form hydrocarbons. Once used, they cannot be replaced for tens of thousands of years; hence they are non-renewable energy source. These deposit maybe petroleum, gas, coal, etc. which are used to fuel automobiles and also generate electricity. Rising populations and discoveries of oil deposits in developing countries have led to an increase in the rate of fossil fuel consumption and negative environmental impact, such as Global Warming. Global warming is the rise in average temperature of both the earth and oceans, primarily caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, etc. produced by human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. However, it seems we finally have a light at the end of the tunnel with the discovery of a safer approach to produce hydrogen fuel by a team of Virginia tech researchers.

Y.H Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems of engineering and his team have succeeded in using xylose, the most abundant simple plant sugar, to produce a large quantity of hydrogen. This new environmentally friendly method of producing hydrogen utilizes renewable natural resources, releases almost zero greenhouse gasses, and does not require costly or heavy metals.

The U.S. Department of Energy states that hydrogen fuel has the potential to dramatically reduce over dependence on fossil fuels and automobile manufacturers are working tirelessly to develop vehicles that run on hydrogen fuel cells. Unlike gas-powered engines that release environmentally harmful pollutants, the only by-product of hydrogen fuel is water. Zhang's discovery opens the door to an inexpensive, renewable source of hydrogen. Read Full Article HERE