Petro-Dollars Fuel Eco-Oasis

Kerry Trueman December 14, 2007 | 11:39 am EST

Abu Dhabi’s sitting on top of nearly 100 billion barrels of oil, but that’s not stopping it from planning for a post-petroleum future. The United Arab Emirates capitol is going to spend billions of dollars to create a zero emissions “eco-oasis” named “Masdar” “arabic for “the source” –in the middle of a sandy wasteland, according to Der Spiegel.

The city “will look like a cross between The Arabian Nights and The Jetsons,” and Abu Dhabi’s leaders hope their solar-powered city will help them outshine neighboring emirate Dubai, which dominates the region. The rivalry runs so deep, Der Spiegel reports, that a tug of war broke out between the two emirates over Justin Timberlake. A senior Abu Dhabi official persuaded the popstar to switch a recent performance from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, for an event sponsored by Masdar’s parent company. Looks like they know how to harness star power, anyway.