The UAE wants an artificial mountain to increase rainfall
When geography works against you, change the geography.
Desert countries are frequently victims of their elevation. They tend to be mostly flat, making it tough for air to climb upwards and form rain clouds. The United Arab Emirates thinks there's a direct solution to this, however: make your own mountain. It's in the early stages of developing an artificial mountain that would force air upwards and create clouds that (with seeding) could produce additional rainfall. In theory, an arid landscape could become verdant over time.
Not surprisingly, there's a lot of work to be done before cartographers have to redraw their maps. While the UAE is no stranger to small-scale terraforming (see Dubai's artificial islands) or otherwise changing the environment, a mountain is much more ambitious. The team is still determining the size and location of the mountain, and whether or not it's completed could hinge on both the necessary engineering and the price. While the UAE has plenty of private wealth floating around, the government might not be so keen on funding the project if the costs get out of control. Should this go forward, however, it'll likely represent the biggest-ever attempt at permanently altering a regional climate.
