By JAMES CALDERWOOD, Associated Press Writer Sun Feb 25, 4:27 PM ET
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Leaders of this major oil-producing Gulf country said Sunday they were plunging into the field of renewable energy, announcing a joint research venture into green energy with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The announcement comes a few months after the World Wildlife Fund labeled the Emirates the world's biggest per-capita producer of globe-warming greenhouse gases, mainly due to its profligate energy consumption.
The Emirates' early entry into the renewable energy arena comes amid squabbling over whether similar reforms should be embraced in the world's largest energy consumer, the United States.
The agreement signed Sunday between the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. and MIT created the Masdar Institute of Technology in Abu Dhabi. Masdar will pursue Abu Dhabi's plan to use its oil income to develop a more sustainable renewable energy sector and an economy based on green energy expertise.
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