Despite the fact that it is one of the largest steps taken forward in alternative energy history, Abu Dhabi’s city of Masdar is still a relatively unknown subject to most people. Set into motion in 2006, the Masdar initiative is expected to provide the world with the first zero-carbon, zero-waste city, and serve as an international breeding ground for sustainable technology.

The Masdar initiative to pursue “solutions to some of mankind’s most pressing issues: energy security, climate change, and the development of human expertise in sustainability ” includes plans for a research institute to develop environmental technologies, an investment arm to commercialize and deploy them, and an eco-city to provide housing for students and business’s and to serve as a test bed for their ideas. With this, CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber intends to turn Abu Dhabi’s Masdar into the silicon valley of clean technology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovly1dQGKH4

But even with extensive efforts to monitor carbon expenditure, some critics are still skeptical. Most attacked, is the fact that while Abu Dhabi may be building the worlds largest and most extensive eco-center, just next door there are several energy intensive projects simultaneously being developed. This includes the worlds biggest aluminum smelter, which will include an on site gas-power plant, and an indoor ski slope within a nearby mall, like the one in Dubai.

Despite the fact that Masdar may not be the absolute perfect model for the future of our cities, the project can be acknowledged as an incredible step forward towards a future of alternative energy solutions that we desperately need. This is the first time an entire city has been dedicated to the international collaboration of sustainability efforts, and it presents a wonderful opportunity for the world’s nations to reassess their fossil fuel dependence in alliance.