World’s ‘greenest city’

MANILA, Philippines–WHAT DOES it take to be named, or become, a “green” city?

Recently, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the government of Abu Dhabi launched a “sustainability strategy” to create the “world’s greenest city.” Known as Masdar City, it will be the world’s “first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city,” according to the master plan, the “One Planet Living” program, a global initiative launched by WWF and environmental consultancy BioRegional. According to a news release, WWF will work with officials of Masdar to “ensure the city meets standards of sustainability which include specific targets for the city’s ecological footprint.”

Electricity for the planned city, occupying a 6 square-kilometer area, will be generated by photovoltaic panels, while cooling will be provided via concentrated solar power. Water will be provided through a solar-powered desalination plant. Landscaping within the city and crops grown outside the city will be irrigated with “grey water” and treated waste water produced by the city’s water treatment plant. Construction of Masdar City is slated to start early this year.

The city is part of the Masdar Initiative, Abu Dhabi’s “multi-faceted investment in the exploration, development and commercialization of future energy sources and clean technology solutions.” A model of Masdar City will be unveiled on Jan. 21 at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

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THIS early, Masdar City has already gained adherents, including no less than US President George Bush, who was briefed on the government’s plans for the city during a visit. Gulf News reports that Bush was “impressed” by plans for the “world’s greenest city.” “I was amazed at the advanced state of the UAE and how the country is using its resources to develop alternative energy,” the American president said, adding that “the whole world can learn what works and what does not in (Masdar).”

Praising the city as a model society powered by clean technology, Bush said the city is “an opportunity to share this [clean] technology with the UAE,” adding that he hoped his visit “will be an opportunity to work constructively with the UAE in all fields.” Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said Bush was especially interested in the partnerships the UAE had developed with businesses and academic institutions in the US.

Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, director of WWF International’s “One Planet Living initiative,” noted: “Today Abu Dhabi is embarking on a journey to become the global capital of the renewable energy revolution. Abu Dhabi is the first hydrocarbon-producing nation to have taken such a significant step towards sustainable living.

“Masdar is an example of the paradigm shift that is needed and the strategic vision of the Abu Dhabi government is a case study in global leadership. We hope that Masdar City will prove that sustainable living can be affordable and attractive in all aspects of human living–from businesses and manufacturing facilities to universities and private homes.”

Al Jaber added: “Masdar City will question conventional patterns of urban development, and set new benchmarks for sustainability and environmentally friendly design–the students, faculty and businesses located in Masdar City will not only be able to witness innovation first-hand, but they will also participate in its development.”

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MEANWHILE, even as the Abu Dhabi government is well on its way to creating “the world’s greenest city,” this country is still doing its best mitigating the damage wrought on the environment. A recent study found the Philippines to be among the “most harmed” countries in the world with respect to environmental degradation.

Perhaps in response to this news, the Supreme Court recently designated 117 “environmental courts” to try and decide on cases involving the violation of environmental laws, in a bid to speed up the resolution of such cases.

Von Hernandez, Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigns director, welcomed the establishment of the environmental courts, saying he hoped these would “not only expedite the resolution of pending and future environmental cases, but also enhance the enforcement of existing environmental laws.”

Hernandez added that laws and policies already exist to address the many environmental challenges confronting the Philippines, but that “inconsistent and half-hearted enforcement of these laws has always been the bane of our environmental protection strategies.” Such a cavalier attitude toward the enforcement of environmental laws, said Hernandez, “has led to the severe pollution and despoliation of the air we breathe, the water we use for sustenance, and the forests needed to ensure the integrity of our various life-support systems.”

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INDEED, the country already enjoys such groundbreaking laws like the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Waste Management Act. But despite the existence of such laws, said Hernandez, “illegal dumpsites keep on proliferating across the country and the ban on the open burning of waste continues to be violated with wild abandon. Because they know they can get away with it, abusive corporations treat our mountains and rivers as their private storehouses and repositories of their toxic waste.”

Before we can even dream, then, of creating “green cities” around the country, perhaps we should begin with enforcing our laws and preserving and protecting what remains of our unspoilt environment. The environmental courts can only hear cases of individuals and companies caught violating our laws. The rest of us can ensure that our laws are followed, starting with our own backyards, our own environmental practices.

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