WELCOME TO GREEN CITY, UAE

"NO CARBON CITY" UNDER CONSTRUCTION

IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Masdar City, United Arab Emirates - a green city in the desert.

Abu Dhabi has begun construction of the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste car-free city.

Masdar City will cost US$22 billion and be home to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses. It will be powered mostly by solar energy, and residents will travel in emission-free pods running on magnetic tracks. The city will also make use of traditional Gulf architecture to create low-energy buildings, with natural air conditioning from wind towers. Water will be provided through a solar-powered desalination plant. The city will use a quarter of the power required for a similar-sized city, and 60% less water.

The United Arab Emirates, the world’s fifth largest exporter of oil, currently has one of the world’s highest per capita carbon footprints. Masdar City forms part of Abu Dhabi’s $15 billion five year plan to develop clean energy technologies in an effort to diversify from dwindling oil wealth. As part of the plan, Abu Dhabi will become home to the world's largest hydrogen power plant.

There is also a financial payoff: Masdar City is expected to create 70,000 new jobs and boost the UAE's GDP by 2 per cent. By implementing clean energy technologies, the city will save the equivalent of more than $2 billion in oil over the next 25 years.

Masdar City is expected to be completed by 2016. Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presided over a ground-breaking ceremony on Saturday. Giant shoutout to the UAE, and to the tens of thousands of people who will work hard to build this amazing city of the future.

Sources, resources, discourses:

BBC News – article and photo
Gulfnews.com - article
Times Online - article
news.com.au – article
Khaleej Times Online - article