The Middle East may soon overtake other nations and become the global role model in developing sustainable energy, according to an author of a new report released by the World Energy Council and Oliver Wyman at the COP 18 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar.
The World Energy Trilemma is the struggle that governments face in providing energy that is secure, affordable, and environmentally-sound.
A World Energy Council/Oliver Wyman Energy Sustainability Index within the report that ranks 92 countries’ energy systems shows that the energy systems of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait lag behind nearly half of those in the rest of the world in terms of their ability to provide sustainable energy.
But it also demonstrates why the Middle East may soon emerge the world’s leader in this area: The region is adopting many of the practical and interconnected steps required to achieve sustainable energy faster than many other nations can.
“The Middle East is well-positioned to take the lead in the global sustainable energy race that is about to reshape the world’s energy landscape,” Oliver Wyman partner and a report author Mark Robson, said. “Most governments in the Middle East have set out aggressive plans for reaching sustainable energy goals over the next eight to 18 years and they have the political leadership and financial resources to achieve them.”
Most of the region’s countries improved their ability to provide sustainable energy last year as some of their new initiatives began to take hold, according to figures released in the report.