Many countries suffer the debilitating impact from wasting resources due to misuse or excessive consumption.
The best example of this is food wastage. The amount wasted globally is estimated at up to 30 per cent, which in turn could have fed close to 800 million hungry people in poorer countries.
The GCC states suffer from waste on more than one level. And it must be noted they are also in most need of rational measures to preserve their resources and better exploit them. This is simply because these countries suffer from a scarcity of key resources and depletion happening to them from high demand.
However, the biggest waste is represented in excessive consumption of energy and water resources, which is the highest in the world. This can be attributed to many reasons, the first of which is the low price of electricity, fuel and water from heavy subsidies in these high-income societies and which encourages consumers to be reckless regarding the usage. Such wastage of these non-renewable resources lead to rising subsidy bills in the budgets across the Gulf.
People are so used to this mode of consumption which has continued for decades. But it has to be questioned due to changes in energy policies elsewhere in the world. It is also required because the GCC countries will have to reconsider the way their annual budgets are structured, including reviewing the policy on subsidies to ensure only the eligible benefit from these and thus reduce the pressure on public expenditures.
GCC countries are taking the right path to pursue such reforms by rationalising consumption practices in favour of sustainable development. Consumers too have to do their part as this kind of consumption is incompatible with sustainable development. It requires a full understanding by all members of society to preserve the existing resources for as long as possible and develop new ones.
It would be possible for GCC countries to review policies on energy conservation, especially with regard to energy and water prices. So, it is vital for them to rationalise prices and promote consumer awareness about consumption through various means, specifically the media.
With regard to prices, which have a particular sensitivity for consumers, they are considerably subsidised and cannot continue any longer. Growing populations have led to generous subsidies being folded up and prices modified to match the actual value of materials and services provided. Price adjustments are currently adopted by most countries where consumption rates have declined in accordance with the necessary requirements taken.
If GCC countries succeed in promoting public awareness and adoption of the price adjustment policy, they will be able to achieve significant results in conserving resources and supporting their annual budgets, which would represent a significant leap in gradually reducing wastage of electricity and water, and thus be in sync with the economic progress achieved by the GCC states.
This issue does not solely concern official bodies, but all members of the society, whether nationals or expatriates. It would require everyone to support GCC’s approach to reduce waste in consumption as well as positively respond to policies tailored to optimise the use of utilities.
GCC countries intend to adopt the slice-entitlement system to minimise usage, which takes into account lower income categories that will get these services at prices commensurate with their monthly income and standard of living. This will in turn encourage them to minimise their excessive use of utility power and water.
With respect to fuel prices, it is important that people’s perceptions change on public transport, which is rapidly evolving in the GCC and especially in the UAE. The metro projects and Etihad Rail would be a quantum leap that can contribute significantly to the optimal exploitation of energy resources.
