LONDON: The construction work on the world's first "green city" has started in the Gulf. Masdar City, on the ou
irts of Abu Dhabi city in the United Arab Emirates, will be zero-carbon, zero-waste and car-free.
The city will be built at a cost of £11.3 billion over an eight-year period and be home to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses.
It will be powered by solar energy and residents will move in travel pods running on magnetic tracks.
"We are creating an array of financial vehicles to finance the 22 billion pounds development. We will monetise all carbon emission reductions. Such innovative financing has never been applied to the scale of an entire city," the
BBC News portal reported, quoting Masdar chief executive officer Sultan al-Jaber as telling the British media.
The project is supported by global conservation charity, the World Wide Fund for Nature. The city will 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 need a quarter of the power required for a similar sized community, while its water needs will be 60% lower.
The city forms part of an ambitious plan to develop clean energy technologies. As part of the plan, Abu Dhabi will also become home to the world's largest hydrogen power plant.
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