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- Omar Abdel Razek
- arab bbc
published photo, Getty Images
The Arab world holds more than 57% of the world’s crude oil reserves and more than 26% of the world’s natural gas reserves, according to statistics from the Organization of the Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC).
But the implications of this enormous natural wealth have become questionable with the growing global trend towards clean and renewable energy, as some studies indicate that clean energy (solar, wind and hydro) could overthrow oil and gas from the throne of sources of energy. energy by the year. two thousand and forty, after less than twenty years. .
These expectations are consistent with global trends that place hydrocarbons (oil, coal and gas) on the dock as the main culprits of global warming and the resulting climate change. What is the expected fate of Arab oil and gas? Can the Arab countries that produce them both maintain their prosperity and fight climate change? Or will the economic well-being and social stability provided by oil and gas be threatened if their production declines?
Angela Terry, environmentalist and climate activist
Why the Middle East?
British environmental expert and activist Angela Terry agrees with calls for rich oil-producing countries to take responsibility for global warming and climate change. Owning large cars and traveling longer distances has created a continuous cycle of supply and demand, and now is the time to break that cycle.
Why then point the finger at Middle Eastern oil before others?
The British scientist responds: “The Middle East has more than a quarter of the world’s oil and gas production, and Saudi Aramco alone is responsible for four percent of the world’s gas emissions. The truth is, the Middle East is a very big player when it comes to oil and gas and they have to realize that the future is not going well. “In that direction, it is moving towards clean energy sources.”
The report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had explicitly stated that the gases emitted by fossil fuels are the main source of global warming, which prompted the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to demand “declare the end of coal and fossil energy sources before they destroy our planet.” Considering that these energy sources and deforestation “suffocate the planet”.
The Arab world holds more than fifty-seven percent of the world’s crude oil reserves
Several Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have announced the adoption of a strategy to combat climate change by reducing dependence on oil and gas as the main sources of their national income.
But the American Brookings Research Institute has questioned the seriousness of these plans, noting that development plans in the public and private sectors are still tied to oil and gas, even in light of the good intentions of what governments announce.
World Bank study says oil and gas revenues still account for around forty percent of the gross domestic product of Gulf Cooperation Council countries, except the United Arab Emirates, 30 percent, and Bahrain , whose reserves are about to run out, 18 percent. Can these habits be abandoned in favor of climate change?
Arab oil expert Mamdouh Salameh believes that “the price that the oil and gas sector will pay in producing Arab countries will not be different from the price that the oil industry in the world will pay from Russia to Latin America to China. . This award is to continue producing oil and gas while working to reduce toxic emissions. »Associated with the production and use of oil and gas.
Mamdouh Salameh, oil and energy expert
How to change Towards clean energy?
Salameh believes that oil and gas will remain the backbone of Arab Gulf countries, and that producing Arab countries should make a significant contribution to helping address global warming and climate change by further accelerating the use of technology. peak.
“Arab oil-producing countries, especially the Arab Gulf States, will not abandon oil and gas throughout the 21st century and possibly beyond, as the world economy runs on gas and oil If this is the case, then the role the Gulf States play is to help reduce emissions from their oil and gas production.
Salameh, however, is forcing oil-producing Arab countries, especially the Gulf states, to ditch oil for clean energy, “because renewables will not give them an income equal to what they are currently receiving. renewable energies will help Gulf countries increase their oil and gas exports to the rest of the world.
Although the production of fossil fuels, especially oil and gas, is not limited to Arab countries alone, this natural wealth has been the basis for the establishment and stability of states, and its revenues are responsible for social and political balances which go beyond the geographical framework. production areas, which makes the continuous flow of these revenues important in the politics of the Arab world.
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