With gas-guzzling cars, continuous air conditioning, energy-hogging water desalination plants and thirsty lawns, the United Arab Emirates is what the Economist calls "an offence to the atmosphere."But if crown prince Sheikh Mohammed al-Nahyan has his way, Abu Dhabi -- the largest of the UAE's seven city-states -- will become the world's center for carbon-neutral green living. His ambitious Masdar Initiative involves the creation of an academic research institute, a global manufacturing hub for eco-friendly technologies and a walled city that has zero waste and no greenhouse-gas emissions. All this while making a profit.
With help from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Credit Suisse (which has invested $100 million), British architecture firm Foster + Partners, petroleum firm BP and mining giant Rio Tinto, Masdar city will feature recycled water, rainwater harvesting, drough-resistant plants, solar-panelled roofs and algae ponds that may one day create biofuel when science figures out how.
No cars will be allowed. Instead, the 40,000 residents will be required to walk or ride in small, individual pods that will travel through the city on tracks (Masdar will be built on a platform to give easy access to pipes and electric grids).
But will it work? Sitting on 8% of the world's known oil reserves, Abu Dhabi has no shortage of capital to fund this remarkable project (Prince Charles is also a patron). And the planners understand that it will take serious innovation to turn the funds into real sustainability for people living in such a harsh climate. They have chosen former BP chief John Browne to help choose the winner of a prize for innovation. Put those thinking caps on.
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