a city where luxury is as common as sand, Dubai has taken its next bold and controversial leap: building an indoor rainforest.
Tucked inside the heart of City Walk, one of Dubai’s upscale shopping districts, The Green Planet is a fully immersive biodome housing over 3,000 species of plants, animals, and insects. Think parrots soaring beneath a glass canopy, sloths draped lazily over tree branches, and guests wandering through a misty, climate-controlled jungle while sipping iced lattes from the nearby mall.
Complete with interactive exhibits, overnight “rainforest camping” experiences, and even scheduled tropical thunderstorms every 30 minutes, the attraction is a sensory overload with an educational twist. Kids pet reptiles. Influencers pose in humidity. And somewhere near the artificial waterfall, a leaf-cutter ant colony diligently builds its Instagram-worthy tunnels.
The creators describe it as “a celebration of biodiversity and eco-education.” And in fairness, it’s a marvel of bioengineering. But it’s also igniting global conversations about priorities and perception in the age of climate crisis.
“It’s a fascinating contradiction,” said Dr. Amina Halabi, a sustainability researcher based in Abu Dhabi.
“To highlight environmental awareness by recreating one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems in a city dependent on imported water and air conditioning it’s brilliant, surreal, and slightly ironic.”
Environmental advocates have expressed concern over the carbon footprint of maintaining rainforest conditions in the desert, where summer temperatures routinely top 45°C (113°F). While the facility uses recycled water and energy-efficient systems, critics argue that efforts like these often outshine less glamorous, but more impactful, sustainability investments.
Meanwhile, the public reaction swings between delight and disbelief. Local residents bring their families. Tourists leave enchanted. And a not-so-small portion of visitors walk out feeling that familiar Dubai mix of awe and unease.
One tourist from Germany summed it up best:
“It’s the most beautiful rainforest I’ve ever seen and the most confusing.”
In a world grappling with environmental collapse, climate migration, and water scarcity, The Green Planet raises a crucial question: Are we educating through spectacle or just indulging in it?
Still, for many, the message lands albeit in designer packaging: ecosystems matter. Even if, for now, they come with gift shops and valet parking.
