February 6, 2008
Could America Build A Sunshine City?
In Tuesday’s New York Times, Andrew Revkin describes Masdar City, a tiny future oasis of eco-friendliness in the deserts of the Persian Gulf. As Revkin described Monday on his blog, Dot Earth, Masdar City will be:
…a 2.3-square-mile complex that by 2016 should, if plans hold, house nearly 50,000 people working on next-generation energy technologies. No cars. Solar cells for electricity and solar-thermal arrays for the energy needed for air conditioning. Local agriculture. Waste fully recycled.
The city will be funded by the $15-million Masdar Initiative of the government of the United Arab Emirates (as well as some outside investors) in an effort to put less economic focus on the ever-shrinking fossil fuel technologies.
Revkin goes on to ask what every competitive American was already thinking: “Where’s Nevada, or Arizona? Where’s the federal government? Have a look at President Bush’s proposed energy budget for 2009, particularly the parts dealing with energy efficiency, solar investment, and the like.”
But could it really work outside of the Middle East? I wonder especially in light of Hugh’s recent post about rainfall in cities (emphasis mine):
…Scientists do believe that cities can cause rain as hot concrete warms the air, tall buildings alter the winds, and pollution from car exhausts give airborne water something to condense on, forming raindrops. The effect seems to be most pronounced in the southeastern U.S., where there’s lots of warm, humid air.
(Flickr photo of a photovoltaic cell, by Pink Dispatcher)
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Sure, America can build polar cities in such places as Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, yes. This is a good example to follow.
But with global warming coming on, and with increases in average temperatures expected to be from 1 to 10 degrees F in the next 300 years, there might not be a USA by the year 2222. Ever think of that? Not a pretty picture, but worth thinking about.
You might want to blog someday about “polar cities” or what a polar city might be like in the year 2424 or so, maybe 2525. You can see some images of a polar city here, although we don’t have the funds of the UAE PR people to create a cool video. But do check the images out and blog about the idea, pro or con, someday. Before it is too late.
Danny Bloom
http://pcillu101.blogspot.com
POLAR CITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Comment by Danny Bloom — February 6, 2008 @ 8:56 pm
[...] couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the eco-friendly Masdar City, in the Persian Gulf, which will run largely on solar power. [...]
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