In this Beyond the Headlines podcast with James Haines-Young from the National News, Dr Carole Nakhle, CEO of Crystol Energy, discusses Saudi Arabia’s pledge to reach net zero by 2060 and how the Gulf is getting serious about climate change.
According to Dr Nakhle, that is a major step for the world’s ninth largest carbon dioxide emitter and second largest in the Middle East – after Iran, putting the country in the same league as many developed economies and major energy consumers when it comes to fighting climate change.
It is a rebrand of just being an oil producer to a nation that takes climate change seriously – they recognise the problem and want to be part of the solution.
Saudi Arabia and the Middle East stand out at the moment when it comes to energy intensity, with the region experiencing an increasing trend compared to the rest of the world which has seen decreasing levels. That implies that there is a lot governments can do to improve energy efficiency, with the latter being the low hanging fruit for the Gulf countries to help achieving their net zero targets.
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