TITLE:
Shifting to Renewable Energy to Mitigate Carbon Emissions: Initiatives by the States of Gulf Cooperation Council
AUTHORS:
Hilal Al Shidi, Hameed Sulaiman, Patrick Amoatey
KEYWORDS:
Renewable Energy, Climate Change, GCC States
JOURNAL NAME:
Low Carbon Economy,
Vol.7 No.3,
August
10,
2016
ABSTRACT: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries approximately
have 40% of world’s proven oil reserves and 21.7% of world’s known gas
reserves. Low energy costs compiled with low taxation make it lucrative to
foreign energy-intensive companies to operate in the region. Energy consumption
in GCC has increased by 74% in the period between 2000 and 2010 and it is
projected to increase by approximately 10% to 15% between 2010 and 2020.
Embracing the general commitment by GCC states to reduce greenhouse gas
emission (GHG) of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
has started the process of environmental awakening in the GCC countries due to
its high vulnerability to the effects of climate change. This paper reviews the
trends in shift to renewable energy with reference to GCC and also the
co-benefits of investing in renewable energy. Solar plant and
Building-Integrated Photo-Voltaic (BIPV) systems are the most invested
projects. However in the long run, policies and strategies are needed to ensure
the successful and larger implementation of mitigation objectives.