Masdar City is environmentalists’ utopia. Except everything is not perfect. One looming critique is that city’s funding comes from oil and gas exports revenue that are responsible for fueling greenhouse gas emissions across the world. They are ironically building a city supported by other environmental hazards. This reminded me of our class discussion the other day on whether it is reasonable to fund decomposable bags research with money earned from plastic fines.
I appreciate that the project attempts to control and incorporate so many environmental features at once. However, at the same time, the fact that an entirely new city has to be constructed does not make it a feasible role model, as it is an unattainable feat for most cities. It would almost be better if they were to incorporate adjustments that other places around the world could emulate. The article admits that even a whole new city will only have a marginal affect on the damage. This concept is also defeating, because it minimizes the impact each person can have.
One thing I really appreciated that Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) is one of the focal points of this project. Building is not enough; education and innovation must be part of the process. In this way Masdar can be a leading player in sustainability. The city itself will provide 800 full time students with hands on learning, by participating in the Masdar City’s construction.
Jut today, an interview was published with the Dr Belhoul, the CEO of Masdar. He explained that that those before him, including his grandmother, lived sustainable lifestyles, however, as the place became wealthy from oil they no longer emphasized sustainable living. This is a similar reality in places all over the world. The more resources we have, the more we abuse them and get caught up in luxury. With all its downfalls, let’s appreciate that sustainability is still on the public agenda…
