The climate change challenge affects all parts of the world, but some regions, such as the Middle East will be worst hit. Experts expect the region experience a rise of 2°C and up to 4°C.[1] the increase in temperature could potentially cause severe and prolonged heat waves to the already hot climate in the region. The climate change could increase desertification and cause droughts, leading to uninhabitability of many parts of Middle East.[2] The land could no longer support agricultural activities, threatening food security. Climate change challenges affect animals and humans since it destroys their source of livelihood. The cause of the climate change challenge is high greenhouse emissions. The Middle East is the leading producer of oil and natural gas, which is the leading contributor to the emissions.[3] Furthermore, the rapid growth in the region’s population has exacerbated the problem due to the high demand for non-renewable energy to cater for the needs of the massive population. Although the world explores other solutions to address the climate change challenge, developing renewable energy, such as in the State of Qatar, could help to reduce dependence on non-renewable energy and its contribution to climate change.
Qatar
Qatar is one of the Gulf Council Cooperation countries, which are primarily affected by the climate change challenge due to non-renewable energy overdependence. The country is situated in Western Asia and occupies the minor Qatar Peninsula. Qatar sits on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, explaining the country’s arid climate. The Qatar economy is highly dependent on oil and natural gas, which are non-renewable sources of energy. The discovery of oil changed the state’s economy since it improved the people’s standard of living. Oil is the leading export from the country like other Gulf Council Cooperation countries. As of 2012, the country had 15 billion barrels as oil reserves and 13% gas field out of the global resource.[4] The extensive dependence on oil and natural gas places the country at a high risk of climate change, leading to the need for safer alternatives, such as the development of renewable energy.
Renewable Energy
Sustainable development includes attempts to control or prevent the negative effects of energy on the environment. Thus, the climate change menace affects attempts to achieve sustainable development, creating the need for mechanisms and strategies to address the problem. Qatar and other countries in the region are leading contributors to greenhouse emissions (see table 1 below).[5] The need for renewable energy in Qatar emanates from the high level of emissions in the country. For example, the state is the fifth-largest per capita emitter globally, with the energy sector accounting for the highest level of emissions (96.5 percent, as shown in table 1). Qatar depends on fossil fuel, oil, and natural gas as the primary source of energy, creating a significant challenge to reduce the climate change problem. Industrial processes are also a significant source of GHG emissions in the country due to methanol, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), ammonia and urea, cement, steel, and plastics. The transportation sector also contributes to a lot of emissions at 88% and civil aviation at 12%.[6] The emissions hinder sustainable development, creating the need for interventions, such as renewable energy.
Table 1
Sustainable Energy Development Strategies have developed to reduce dependence on non-renewable sources, such as oil and natural gas, contributing to the immense emissions. The strategies entail three major technological transformations. First, it involves saving energy on the demand side of the curve. Secondly, the system involves the improvement of efficiency at the production phase. Finally, the strategies achieve a reduction of the production and use of fossil fuels due to their replacement with renewable energy.[7] Various countries have adopted large-scale renewable energy implementation plans and policies to facilitate alternative sources and reduce dependence on non-renewable sources. National and international policymakers demand that countries in the Middle East, including Qatar, adopt the Sustainable Energy Development Strategies to reduce carbon emissions and climate change.
Renewable energy is currently considered a critical resource in many regions around the world. Regardless of the importance of renewable energy, countries have not generated adequate quantities to replace fossil fuels’ production and use. On an international scale, less than 15% is the proportion of renewable energy generated and used for primary purposes.[8] Renewable sources of energy account for a very minor proportion of the total energy supply internationally. Nonetheless, the alternative sources of energy have a considerable potential to reduce the overdependence on non-renewable sources, such as oil.[9] Besides, in some regions, the share of renewable energy has been increasing tremendously over the last few decades. The challenge remains on integrating a high proportion of intermittent resources into a country’s energy infrastructure, such as the supply of electricity for domestic and commercial usage. Solutions to the challenge will enable countries like the Middle East to capitalize on renewable sources to address the climate change problem.
Renewable Energy in Qatar
Qatar is one of the GCC countries, meaning that analysis of the region’s renewable situation is critical to understand the case in the state. Domestic economies in the area still benefit from considerable subsidies on fossil fuels, although they bear the cost of their usage. The subsidiaries have always hindered the acceptance of alternatives, such as renewable sources, worsened by the high investment in renewable energy technologies. Regardless of the high acceptance of the technologies worldwide, they are yet to reach their maximum potential in the region. Other identified barriers to the production and usage of alternative sources include market conditions, infrastructure, and human capital, which hinder the diffusion and growth of the technologies.[10] As a result, the GCC countries’ governments should create and implement economic and political interventions to incentivize the development and usage of renewable energy technologies. The International Renewable Energy Agency suggests that although the technologies have been improving, the regional governments should put more effort into the process.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have increasingly accepted the generation and usage of renewable energy sources since 2014. By 2018, the project pipeline was about 7 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity to generate power in the region. [11] With conventional energy technologies in the region, electric power generation has become highly competitive in the GCC countries. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) suggests that the generation and usage of renewable energy can improve and diversify the region’s economy, in individual countries and GCC combined. Besides, it will help the region achieve its commitment to addressing climate change as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The region has abundant resources, coupled with a strong framework that enables high-level solar energy generation due to reduced solar PV prices of below 3 cents ($0.03) per kilowatt-hour.[12] With such capacity, the region can generate sufficient energy to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Therefore, the government and private actors should invest in the technology that generate clean renewable energy and reduce the use of non-renewable sources that contribute to climate change.
Readiness Factors in Qatar
The adoption of renewable energy technologies in a country or state depends on various readiness factors that support their usage. Renewable energy potential is one factor that determines the technologies’ adoption to support the generation and use of renewable energy. The resources include solar radiation, wind speed, and land available to help solar PV, CSP, and wind farms. The GCC countries, including Qatar, have considerable solar and reasonable wind resources to generate alternative energy sources. They have the capacity and potential to have adequate supply of clean energy. The table below shows an analysis of solar and wind potential in GCC countries.[13] From the analysis, it becomes evident that the countries have a considerable potential to generate and use alternative energy sources and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. With such resources, Qatar could be among the nations in the region and globally that have capitalized on the usage of renewable energy to address the climate change menace and enhance energy sufficiency.
Institutional Support
Countries require enabling institutions, both private and public, to capitalize on renewable energy technologies. Institutional readiness highlights the various factors that provide a framework and policies that will allow the generation and usage of renewable energy in a country. They also indicate the energy finance and microeconomic environment for the deployment and use of renewable energy technologies.[14] Success in renewable energy development also depends on the market design relating to various drivers, such as infrastructure, human capacity and institutions.[15] The factors are critical since they create a reliable energy policy that guide energy sustainability in a state. They further reveal the institutional capability to adopt targeted renewable energy projects for present and future usage. The government is committed to increasing the production of renewable energy to support climate change mitigation initiatives. Stable institutions provide the financial capability to renewable energy development projects and incentives for the private and public sector to accept them as the primary sources of energy.[16] The institutional support includes the public/private institutions supporting renewable energy and the governmental policies/strategies that support the adoption and deployment of renewable energy technologies.
Public and Private Institutions Supporting RE
The level of institutional support determines the level of acceptance for renewable energy sources in a country. Besides, the support determines the success of renewable energy projects and the amount of energy generated from such programs. Renewable energy development requires legal and administrative frameworks within the private and public sectors that guide the generation and usage. Besides, institutions affect the development of strategies that influence renewable energy technologies and the generation of enough resources to reduce the dependence on non-renewable alternatives. The GCC region has strong public and private institutions that could support sufficient renewable energy for domestic and commercial usage. According to the GCR (2012), Qatar ranks 14th on institutional competitiveness with a 5.4 score.[17] Government policies drive sustainable the adoption of renewable energy programs, explaining why Qatar is most likely to perform well in the implementation of such projects to generate adequate energy supply.
Among the government policies that affect the implementation of renewable energy projects are those targeted toward reducing CO2 emissions and energy security in a country. The government support the implementation of large-scale renewable energy technologies to offer economies of scale and suitable environments for planning that facilitate development financing in the target country.[18] Institutional policies are evidence in different GCC countries that support the adoption and usage of renewable energy policies. In Qatar, project-specific targets have been introduced to reveal its support for renewable energy development projects. For example, the country plans to hold a sustainable sporting event in 2022, revealing the institutional readiness for sustainable energy. The specific and time bound target for electricity from renewable energy in the country was 6% by 2020.[19] However, the country lacks policy and financial incentives for the development of renewable energy. Nonetheless, the state recognizes the need for renewable energy sufficiency soon, revealing a commitment to address the climate change menace.
Institutional/Electricity Market Regulatory Framework
The framework is another area in which the support for renewable energy generation is evident in a country. States experience diverse institutional regulatory challenges are various in terms of their impact on energy production. While some of the challenges affect the energy sector as a whole, others are specific to renewable energy projects. As a result, regulators should create an enabling environment to avoid or minimize the challenges and risk of renewable energy technology projects. Some of the challenges include many overlapping relevant authorities, the absence of long-term planning, lack of coordination, lack of stakeholder engagement, and complicated permitting procedures.[20] The factors determine the regulatory framework’s RE-readiness score for developing renewable energy in countries, such as Qatar. The state lacks a specific regulatory authority to support the implementation of renewable energy technology projects. Such an authority would help countries improve the generation of renewable energy to improve energy sufficiency and address climate change problems. The advantages of having an enabling environment for support renewable energy technology projects differ from one country to another. The table below shows the scores related to the advantages in Qatar and other GCC countries. The factors on the table are provided regarding the sub-factors contributing to a conducive regulatory assurance.
The Governmental Policies/Strategies
Qatar is one of the Middle East countries that has ratified the Kyoto Protocol that commits reducing the carbon emissions to address the climate change challenge. The states have climate change mitigation policies, which inform the attempts to develop measures to prevent further climate change. Qatar is committed to sustainable development through Climate Change Initiatives, a range of actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The government strives to position the state in a leadership position to create climate change and clean energy initiatives. As part of the Kyoto Protocol, the country submitted a National Communication to the UNFCCC in 2011 to reveal the governmental commitment to address the climate change menace.[21] The government has led efforts to generate policy suggestions for other actors to address the climate change, such as through reduction of the carbon footprint.
Qatar has committed to addressing the climate change problem and join the international efforts to reduce the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. The country has a renewable energy goal of generating 20% pf the total energy supply from renewable sources by 2024.[22] The National Communication has the actual measures that the government intends to take to achieve the goal. The commitment is also outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030, including strategies, such as Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership to participate in the World Bank greenhouse gas reduction initiative and achieving zero gas flaring through the Qatar Petroleum’s corporate objective.[23] The government of Qatar has established formal institutions in managing and addressing climate change challenges. The governmental efforts have supported the development of the infrastructure towards increased generation and use of renewable energy.
The Deployed Renewable Energy Infrastructure
The Qatar government and other institutions have engaged in efforts to create policies to support renewable energy generation and achieve the 20% objective. The country is building infrastructure to produce clean energy, taking advantage of its resource bases, such as solar and wind power. The government has also developed renewable energy technology to address climate change issues for Qatar, the region, and internationally. The government created the Center for Climate Research during COP18 to support research and development to study the climate change issue and implement initiatives to address them.[24] The initiative addresses current gaps in renewable energy technology knowledge to reduce the current level of carbon emissions. The government also established the National Committee for Climate Change to create the climate policy and other supportive infrastructure to address the issue in the country and engage in regional and global attempts to address climate change through the use of alternative energy sources.
The government, and the private and public sectors, has created collaborative efforts through a cross-sectoral energy transformation infrastructure. The effort has allowed increased use of resources that support generation of renewable energy sources, such as electric cars in public transit. The stakeholders are committed to grid-scale solar energy adoption to replace the use of fossil fuel as a source of electric energy in the country. The country further adopts a long-term domestic divestment for the generation of renewable energy to replace fossil fuel as the primary source of energy for domestic and commercial usage. The current political, economic, and social structures support alternative energy generation as the country joins in the global attempts to deal with climate change. The support system will improve Qatar’s capacity to generate sufficient renewable energy to reduce the use of non-renewable sources.
Through research and developmental efforts, Qatar joins other countries in the region and globally that have adopted renewable energy technology and related projects. In the near future, the country will develop public transport systems, which no longer depend on fossil fuel and contribute to the great deal of carbon emissions. The future is likely to witness electric cars, even in public transport, and compressed natural gas buses to cut down the level of greenhouse emissions by a considerable percentage. Plans for a mass transport network are underway to improve the transport system further. The government implements the environmental policies for renewable energy and plans for energy efficiency, optimization and resource utilization (QPEERU).[25] The infrastructure serves as a force behind the greenhouse gas mitigation initiatives under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The government still undertakes various measures to deal with climate change and other environmental issues that hinder sustainable development.
Conclusion
Qatar is one of the Gulf Council Cooperation countries, whose economy relies mainly on non-renewable energy, such as oil and natural gas. As a result of fossil fuel energy, the country is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Qatar is one of the leading contributors to global emissions, calling for significant efforts to reduce the level and its role in the climate change problem. The government and other stakeholders have engaged in climate change action, an amalgamation of firm targets to reduce dependence on non-renewable energy. Qatar is one of the Gulf Council Cooperation countries whose economy relies mainly on non-renewable energy, such as oil and natural gas. As a result of fossil fuel energy, the country is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Qatar is one of the leading contributors to global emissions, calling for substantial efforts to reduce the level and its role in the climate change problem. The government and other stakeholders have engaged in climate change action, an amalgamation of firm targets to reduce dependence on non-renewable energy. The state has made steps towards achieving renewable energy goals and zero emissions in line with global efforts to address climate change menace. Stakeholders in the private and public sectors have united in the effort to implement renewable energy technology. However, the country has more work to achieve the goal, such as building a renewable energy technology policy and infrastructure. The country remains one of the leading exporters and fossil fuel users, which means that more work is required to reduce the rate and rely more on fossil fuel.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Renewable Energy Market Analysis: GCC 2019,” 2019, 154
Schwab, Klaus The Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013, Insight Report World Economic Forum (2013)
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Waha, Katharina, Linda Krummenauer, Sophie Adams, Valentin Aich, Florent Baarsch, Dim Coumou, Marianela Fader, et al. “Climate Change Impacts in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) Region and Their Implications for Vulnerable Population Groups.” Regional Environmental Change 17, no. 6 (August 2017)
[1] IRENA country ranking: https://irena.org/Statistics/View-Data-by-Topic/Capacity-and-Generation/Country-Rankings
[2] Waha, Katharina, Linda Krummenauer, Sophie Adams, Valentin Aich, Florent Baarsch, Dim Coumou, Marianela Fader, et al. “Climate Change Impacts in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) Region and Their Implications for Vulnerable Population Groups.” Regional Environmental Change 17, no. 6 (August 2017): 1623
[3] IEA. “Middle East – Countries & Regions.” Accessed June 29, 2020. https://www.iea.org/regions/middle-east.
[4]Joshua Meltzer, Hultman, Nathan & Langley, Claire, Low-Carbon Energy Transitions in Qatar And the Gulf Cooperation Council Region. Global Economy and Development, 2014, 8
[5] Ibid., 8
[6] State of Qatar, Initial National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2011.
[7] Lund, Henrik. “Renewable energy strategies for sustainable development.” Energy 32, no. 6 (2007): 912
[8] Lund, Henrik. “Renewable energy strategies for sustainable development.” Energy 32, no. 6 (2007): 912
[9] Wadha Al-Marri, Amin Al-Habaibeh, and Matthew Watkins. “An investigation into domestic energy consumption behaviour and public awareness of renewable energy in Qatar.” Sustainable cities and society 41 (2018): 639
[10] Mondal, Md Alam Hossain, Diala Hawila, Scott Kennedy, and Toufic Mezher. “The GCC countries RE-readiness: strengths and gaps for development of renewable energy technologies.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 54 (2016): 1114
[11] Renewable Energy Market Analysis: GCC 2019,” 2019, 154
[12] Joshua Meltzer, Hultman, Nathan & Langley, Claire, Low-Carbon Energy Transitions in Qatar, 11
[13] Mondal, Md Alam Hossain, Diala Hawila, Scott Kennedy, and Toufic Mezher. “The GCC countries RE-readiness: strengths and gaps for development of renewable energy technologies.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 54 (2016): 1114
[14] Barbara Breitschopf, Anne Held, and Gustav Resch. “A concept to assess the costs and benefits of renewable energy use and distributional effects among actors: The example of Germany.” Energy & Environment 27, no. 1 (2016): 56
[15] Al Naqbi, S., I. Tsai, and T. Mezher. “Market design for successful implementation of UAE 2050 energy strategy.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 116 (2019): 109429.
[16] Mondal, Md Alam Hossain, Diala Hawila, Scott Kennedy, and Toufic Mezher. “The GCC countries RE-readiness: strengths and gaps for development of renewable energy technologies.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 54 (2016): 1121
[17] Klaus Schwab, The Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013, Insight Report World Economic Forum (2013)
[18] E&Y. Renewable energy country attractiveness indices. Issue 33. Ernst & Young; May 2012
[19] Corinna Klessmann, Anne Held, Max Rathmann, and Mario Ragwitz. “Status and perspectives of renewable energy policy and deployment in the European Union—What is needed to reach the 2020 targets?.” Energy policy 39, no. 12 (2011): 7637.
[20] Joshua Meltzer, Hultman, Nathan & Langley, Claire, Low-Carbon Energy Transitions in Qatar And the Gulf Cooperation Council Region. Global Economy and Development, 2014, 12
[21] State of Qatar, Initial National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2011.
[22] Joshua Meltzer, Hultman, Nathan & Langley, Claire, Low-Carbon Energy Transitions in Qatar And the Gulf Cooperation Council Region. Global Economy and Development, 2014, 13
[23] Moiz Bohra and Nilay Shah. “Optimizing Qatar’s energy system for a post-carbon future.” Energy Transitions (2019): 15
[24] Moiz Bohra and Nilay Shah. “Optimizing Qatar’s energy system for a post-carbon future.” Energy Transitions (2019): 17
[25] Joshua Meltzer, Hultman, Nathan & Langley, Claire, Low-Carbon Energy Transitions in Qatar, 13
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