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Abu Dhabi to Build Zero-Carbon 'Green' City
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Masdar City is to be the world's first zero-waste, zero-carbon development. But environmentalists cast doubt on the motives behind its construction.
30-Second Summary
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is investing $4 million in the desert project, which will be powered mainly by solar energy.
Traditional Emirati wind towers will act as natural air conditioners, channeling cool breezes into the buildings. Instead of driving fossil-fuel-burning automobiles, Masdar City’s estimated 50,000 residents will travel in transport pods that run on magnetic tracks.
The project has a price tag of $22 billion. Masdar Chief Executive Sultan al-Jaber said that any costs beyond the emirate’s funding would come from “an array of financial vehicles.”
The United Arab Emirates may have been motivated by the fact it produces a disproportionate amount of waste, considering its size. MSNBC describes the desert lifestyle of the population as “one of the world's most environmentally unfriendly with its ubiquitous air conditioning, swimming pools and SUVs.”
British biologist Jonathan Loh said, “It would be best if the UAE reduced energy consumption throughout the country not just in one location.” The project has, however, won the support of the World Wildlife Fund.
Masdar City’s chief architect, Lord Norman Foster, argues the project will have positive economic and environmental outcomes. "If I was a developer, I would say that this has to be good business. It may have a longer payback period, but 10 years in the life of a city is nothing," Foster told the Dubai-based Khaleej Times.
Traditional Emirati wind towers will act as natural air conditioners, channeling cool breezes into the buildings. Instead of driving fossil-fuel-burning automobiles, Masdar City’s estimated 50,000 residents will travel in transport pods that run on magnetic tracks.
The project has a price tag of $22 billion. Masdar Chief Executive Sultan al-Jaber said that any costs beyond the emirate’s funding would come from “an array of financial vehicles.”
The United Arab Emirates may have been motivated by the fact it produces a disproportionate amount of waste, considering its size. MSNBC describes the desert lifestyle of the population as “one of the world's most environmentally unfriendly with its ubiquitous air conditioning, swimming pools and SUVs.”
British biologist Jonathan Loh said, “It would be best if the UAE reduced energy consumption throughout the country not just in one location.” The project has, however, won the support of the World Wildlife Fund.
Masdar City’s chief architect, Lord Norman Foster, argues the project will have positive economic and environmental outcomes. "If I was a developer, I would say that this has to be good business. It may have a longer payback period, but 10 years in the life of a city is nothing," Foster told the Dubai-based Khaleej Times.
Headline Link: ‘Work Starts on Gulf “Green” City’
Abu Dhabi has begun construction on what is touted to be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste community, Masdar City. The development will cost $22 billion, and the emirate will put $4 million of its own money toward the project, while the remainder will come from what Masdar Chief Executive Sultan al-Jaber called “an array of financial vehicles.” However, the BBC writes that the emirate “has one of the world’s biggest per-capita carbon footprints and skeptics fear Masdar may be just a fig leaf."
Source: The BBC
Background: Big investments from the UAE
In November, Citigroup sold the state-run Abu Dhabi Investment Authority a portion of the company worth $7.5 billion.
Source: findingDulcinea
As part of its continuing effort to position itself as a luxury brand, the emirate of Dubai is spending billions of dollars on construction projects that have divided architectural critics.
Source: findingDulcinea
Key Players: The UAE’s rulers
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum
Time magazine describes Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum as a visionary and a cunning businessman. Time magazine writes that the sheikh is “a man of many guises—poet; champion horseman; UAE vice president, prime minister and defense minister—Sheikh Mo sees himself as CEO of Dubai Inc.” Taking the throne in 2006, Sheikh Mo has developed a host of free zones for international businesses; financial centers; a top-rated airline, Emirates; the world’s largest manmade islands and a shopping mall that is home to an artificial ski slope.
Source: Time
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan
Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Khalifa is the ruler of Abu Dhabi and the president of the UAE. He assumed that dual role upon his father’s death on Nov. 4, 2004. Two principal goals of his rule have been economic liberalization and limited democratic reforms. He is working to diversify the UAE’s economy to move away from its reliance on hydrocarbon revenues. Since mid-2006, Sheik Khalifa has also been the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, also known as the Abu Dhabi Investment Company, which manages the emirate’s finances.
Source: The Emirates Network
Opinion & Analysis: Covering the tracks
The UAE has the world’s largest ecological footprint, writes Dubai-based financial publication Arabian Business. In 2006, the Municipality of Dubai said that it was to require all new buildings to have low-flow plumbing installed. Yet environmental regulations drafted in 2001, with the exception of insulations, are, according to Arabian Business, “optional, not mandatory.”
Source: Arabian Business
MSNBC describes the UAE lifestyle as “one of the world's most environmentally unfriendly with its ubiquitous air conditioning, swimming pools and SUVs.” British biologist Jonathan Loh said, "It would be best if the UAE reduced energy consumption throughout the country not just in one location." This thought was echoed by urban planning and sustainable development professor Habib al-Shuwaikhat, who teaches at Saudi Arabia's King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. He said that Masdar "looks like a good initiative," yet it should not be an "isolated" green community.
Source: MSNBC
Lord Norman Foster, Masdar City’s chief architect, says in rebuttal to skeptics who claim the project isn’t viable or will only attract a wealthier segment of the population, "The aim is to make it economically viable. If I was a developer, I would say that this has to be good business. It may have a longer payback period, but 10 years in the life of a city is nothing."
Source: Khaleej Times
Reference: The UAE’s mega-projects
Masdar City’s Web site features information on its green initiatives, its clean tech fund and the status of its projects.
Source: Masdar’s official Web site
Dubai-based paper Gulf News has an interactive, clickable map of major construction projects underway in the emirate.
Source: Gulf News
Related Topic: ‘Dubai’s Mile-Long Super Bridge Set for March Construction’
The emirate of Dubai plans to start construction next month on what will be the world’s longest arch bridge. Designed by New York architectural firm Fxfowle, the as-of-yet unnamed bridge will span approximately one mile and stand 670 feet high. Upon its expected completion in 2010, the bridge will be able to handle 2000 cars per hour in either direction.
Source: Popular Mechanics
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