Can coal contribute to lower carbon emissions?

As temperatures soar in the Middle East, sending much of the populace scurrying to air-conditioned sanctuaries, a Gulf state is again flirting with coal to solve its power problems.

That state is Dubai, which recently dispatched a high-level delegation to China to study coal-fired thermal power plants.

That might seem to fly in the face of Government efforts to green up the international image of the UAE and its most prominent emirates, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But the

(DEWA), whose chairman, Saeed al Tayer, headed the delegation, is billing the mission as an investigation into "the latest global practices in the area os sustainable energy".

"Our visit comes in line with Dubai's strategy to diversify the sources of energy and to meet the growing future needs through the use of a variety of sources to generate electricity and water focusing on the highest international standards in environmental preservation and safety," Mr al Tayer, who is also the vice chairman of the emirate's Supreme Energy Council, said in a statement on Thursday.

But how could burning coal, which is essentially carbon plus toxic impurities, possibly help the environment?