US and Gulf share concerns on climate change
It is fair to say that there has been some nervousness among Gulf states about the new Biden administration.
New President Joe Biden’s intention to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, together with the potential for a more distant relationship with him than with his predecessor, Donald Trump, have understandably caused unease in the region.
Nevertheless, leaders in the Gulf, as well as the new US president himself, will be keen to find common ground upon which they can build positive partnerships.
Take climate action, for example. Unlike the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has not taken any productive steps to tackle climate change, some Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, are leading the way on this issue. As exemplified by the recent Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, climate change is an obvious choice for an interest that is shared by the US and Gulf states.
Some scholars, policy analysts and politicians might think a region that is the oil hub of the world is not an obvious place to look for innovation in green technologies — however it is critical to point out that the region has experienced a quiet shift in its understanding and recognition of the fact that avoiding action on climate change is no longer possible.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh last month, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, the Saudi energy minister, told a panel of industry leaders: “Whatever we will do in the Kingdom will support emissions reduction, and we are doing it willingly because the economic benefits (from new energy technologies) are clear.” He added: “We will enjoy being looked at as a reasonable and responsible international citizen because we will be doing more than most European countries by 2030.”
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have pledged to improve the proportion of their energy mixes that are renewable, and the UAE has committed to a 24 percent reduction in emissions by 2030.
“With our existing infrastructure and large CCUS (carbon capture, utilization and storage) capabilities, we believe we can be one of the lowest-cost and largest producers of blue hydrogen in the world,” Sultan Al-Jaber, the UAE’s special envoy for climate change and CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week last month.
Of course, one can not expect that Gulf states will immediately ditch hydrocarbons altogether. As the cornerstone of their economies, oil production will continue to provide significant and essential revenues to governments.
Source: arabnews
