To the list of emissions sources that makes the UAE the , including fast cars, maxed out air conditioning and luxurious "seven star" hotels, add the lowly concrete. The building boom is everywhere in the UAE, and there is a price to all this development. Concrete, the basic building block of construction, contributes up to five per cent of all CO2 emissions, as the process of making the stuff produces chemical reactions and also requires a lot of fuel to be burned. There have been longstanding efforts to improve concrete and give it a on the climate, and now with US$200,000 (Dh734,000) in prize money. The first prize is $150,000, for a sustainable concrete production method, while the second $50,000 in prize money will go to the team that produces the lowest-carbon- footprint concrete mix. According to a report in the Architectural Record, all parties should submit requests for information by Dec. 21 and a letter of intent to participate by Jan. 15. Their reports are due on April 16. Scientists, start your mixers.