Can we really expect ...

... emerging countries to give a crud about global stewardship?

If this is any indication, the answer is a resounding: No.

"If you look at it, it's a really bad idea. It uses as much electricity as an entire city. And every time the toilet is flushed they've got to pump water half a mile into the sky," he said.

The telescopic shape is also presents problems of a more practical nature Krane says.

"The upper 30 or 40 floors are so tiny that they're useless, so they can't use them for anything else apart from storage. They've built a small, not so useful storage warehouse half a mile in the sky," he said.

Of course, having built their country on the back of oil (with the industrialized worlds help, of course) I doubt they want to see a push towards greener industry.