Arab region progressing towards climate change

The Arab region is moving forward in the transition to green energy, as highlighted by Rola Dashti, the executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. During her speech at a session titled “Energy, Development and Climate Change” at the 44th IAEE International Conference in Riyadh, Dashti praised the Arab region for the recent back-to-back COP conferences held in Egypt and the upcoming conference in the UAE. Additionally, Dashti recognized Saudi Arabia’s efforts to implement green initiatives and transition to green energy.

Similarly, Noura Alissa, a senior policy analyst at the Saudi Energy Ministry, emphasized the importance of having a diverse energy mix for energy security. Sausan Al-Riyami, director of the Oman Hydrogen Center, stressed the crucial role of green hydrogen in decarbonizing the economic sectors in the Arab region and the need for increased cooperation among stakeholders.

Assistant Professor Sarah Najm from King Saud University’s Department of Economics pointed out that energy transition requires greater international cooperation, while Manjeet Kripalani, the executive director at Gateway House, compared India’s energy situation to that of China, which is balancing its carbon-neutral commitment with energy security. Kripalani suggested that India can follow China’s approach and improve the efficiency of coal to make the value chain more sustainable.

The session was moderated by Steven Griffiths, senior vice president for research and development at Khalifa University.