Climate policies are tightening in an effort to curb carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, globa... more Climate policies are tightening in an effort to curb carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, global oil demand may peak and gradually decline, causing oil prices to fall. A structural fall in oil prices may have serious implications for Middle Eastern oil exporters. Many studies attempt to estimate the economic implications of climate change response measures for oil exporting countries. However, they have not reached a consensus regarding the magnitude of these implications.
Despite the abundance of renewable resources, renewable energy accounts for less than 1% of the t... more Despite the abundance of renewable resources, renewable energy accounts for less than 1% of the total installed power capacity in oil-producing Gulf Arab states. While the political-economic structures of oil-producing Gulf Arab states are thought to have played a role in determining these states' remarkably low uptake of renewable energy, these structures remain understudied. With a focus on Oman, we assess how political-economic structures have influenced its adoption of renewable energy. We implement an analytical framework that integrates insights from energy transition studies and the political-economic theory of rentier states. Drawing on secondary data and primary information from semi-structured interviews with renewable energy developers and energy experts, this study reveals that renewable energy roll-out in Oman has been delayed through three different strategies, namely the use media and public debate, a reduction of the power of renewable energy stakeholders, and the use of institutional mechanisms to strengthen hydrocarbon-based technologies. Oman's renewable energy transition efforts aim to protect rents from oil exports rather than advance low-carbon energy transition.
The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, a... more The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—hold almost 30% of the world’s total proven oil reserves and around 20% of its total proven natural gas reserves. They are also endowed with a high abundance of renewable energy resources such as solar and wind. Yet, the GCC’s primary energy consumption is still dominated by fossil fuels, and the share of renewable energy still does not exceed 1%. Drawing on secondary data, including journal articles, governmental and companies’ websites, and reports and newspaper articles, this paper assesses the reasons behind their underutilization of renewable energy resources. Whereas technical and economic feasibility issues had been identified as the main barriers to slow the uptake of renewable energy technologies in the GCC, this paper uncovered that various additional factors have remarkably influenced such delays. High hydrocarbon subsidies, low electricity tariff s...
The author examines the key challenges and opportunities of integrating climate policies with Gul... more The author examines the key challenges and opportunities of integrating climate policies with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economic diversification strategies, particularly in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The brief is the first of three resulting from an April 2018 workshop in London on economic inclusion and sustainable growth in the GCC. The Baker Institute partnered with Chatham House to host the discussion, which was held as part of a two-year project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York titled “Building Pluralistic and Inclusive States Post-Arab Spring.”
Characterised by a fragile desert environment and high reliance on oil export revenues as their p... more Characterised by a fragile desert environment and high reliance on oil export revenues as their primary source of income, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. This both urges the strengthening of non-oil economic sectors and renders oil export revenues vulnerable to the impacts of the climate change mitigation measures adopted by other countries. Moreover, reliance on oil makes economic vulnerability to oil price shocks an inevitable challenge to the region’s economic stability. This paper studies the interplay between climate change mitigation efforts and attempts to diversify GCC economies in order to identify the potential co-benefits of mainstreaming climate change measures into long-term economic planning, and to analyse the gap in addressing climate change in GCC economic diversification processes.
Scientists suggest that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would warm the global average ... more Scientists suggest that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would warm the global average surface temperature by 3.6 degrees Celsius by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels, almost double the targeted 2 degrees. President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Agreement has been criticised both from inside and outside the US, including by Iran amongst others. Meanwhile, other countries, like members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have chosen to remain silent. Just days after the announcement, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain launched an attack on Qatar, escalating diplomatic tension amongst the GCC members. They accuse Qatar of allying with the ‘enemies’, notably Iran. While GCC tension towards Iran has historical roots, the recent visit by President Trump to Saudi Arabia bolstered the support for isolating Iran. This crisis has already revealed division amongst Gulf countries, with the UAE and Bahrain backing Saudi Arabia in isolating Qatar, and Oman and Kuwait play...
Climate policies are tightening in an effort to curb carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, globa... more Climate policies are tightening in an effort to curb carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, global oil demand may peak and gradually decline, causing oil prices to fall. A structural fall in oil prices may have serious implications for Middle Eastern oil exporters. Many studies attempt to estimate the economic implications of climate change response measures for oil exporting countries. However, they have not reached a consensus regarding the magnitude of these implications.
Despite the abundance of renewable resources, renewable energy accounts for less than 1% of the t... more Despite the abundance of renewable resources, renewable energy accounts for less than 1% of the total installed power capacity in oil-producing Gulf Arab states. While the political-economic structures of oil-producing Gulf Arab states are thought to have played a role in determining these states' remarkably low uptake of renewable energy, these structures remain understudied. With a focus on Oman, we assess how political-economic structures have influenced its adoption of renewable energy. We implement an analytical framework that integrates insights from energy transition studies and the political-economic theory of rentier states. Drawing on secondary data and primary information from semi-structured interviews with renewable energy developers and energy experts, this study reveals that renewable energy roll-out in Oman has been delayed through three different strategies, namely the use media and public debate, a reduction of the power of renewable energy stakeholders, and the use of institutional mechanisms to strengthen hydrocarbon-based technologies. Oman's renewable energy transition efforts aim to protect rents from oil exports rather than advance low-carbon energy transition.
The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, a... more The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—hold almost 30% of the world’s total proven oil reserves and around 20% of its total proven natural gas reserves. They are also endowed with a high abundance of renewable energy resources such as solar and wind. Yet, the GCC’s primary energy consumption is still dominated by fossil fuels, and the share of renewable energy still does not exceed 1%. Drawing on secondary data, including journal articles, governmental and companies’ websites, and reports and newspaper articles, this paper assesses the reasons behind their underutilization of renewable energy resources. Whereas technical and economic feasibility issues had been identified as the main barriers to slow the uptake of renewable energy technologies in the GCC, this paper uncovered that various additional factors have remarkably influenced such delays. High hydrocarbon subsidies, low electricity tariff s...
The author examines the key challenges and opportunities of integrating climate policies with Gul... more The author examines the key challenges and opportunities of integrating climate policies with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economic diversification strategies, particularly in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The brief is the first of three resulting from an April 2018 workshop in London on economic inclusion and sustainable growth in the GCC. The Baker Institute partnered with Chatham House to host the discussion, which was held as part of a two-year project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York titled “Building Pluralistic and Inclusive States Post-Arab Spring.”
Characterised by a fragile desert environment and high reliance on oil export revenues as their p... more Characterised by a fragile desert environment and high reliance on oil export revenues as their primary source of income, the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. This both urges the strengthening of non-oil economic sectors and renders oil export revenues vulnerable to the impacts of the climate change mitigation measures adopted by other countries. Moreover, reliance on oil makes economic vulnerability to oil price shocks an inevitable challenge to the region’s economic stability. This paper studies the interplay between climate change mitigation efforts and attempts to diversify GCC economies in order to identify the potential co-benefits of mainstreaming climate change measures into long-term economic planning, and to analyse the gap in addressing climate change in GCC economic diversification processes.
Scientists suggest that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would warm the global average ... more Scientists suggest that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would warm the global average surface temperature by 3.6 degrees Celsius by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels, almost double the targeted 2 degrees. President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Agreement has been criticised both from inside and outside the US, including by Iran amongst others. Meanwhile, other countries, like members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have chosen to remain silent. Just days after the announcement, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain launched an attack on Qatar, escalating diplomatic tension amongst the GCC members. They accuse Qatar of allying with the ‘enemies’, notably Iran. While GCC tension towards Iran has historical roots, the recent visit by President Trump to Saudi Arabia bolstered the support for isolating Iran. This crisis has already revealed division amongst Gulf countries, with the UAE and Bahrain backing Saudi Arabia in isolating Qatar, and Oman and Kuwait play...
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Papers by Aisha Al-Sarihi