Imagine what a saving of 220 billion litres of water over the next 15 years can mean for the region. The International Renewable Energy Agency general assembly in Abu Dhabi, held as part of the ongoing Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, focused on this important issue. Given the water issues in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena), which according to reports has access to only 1.4 per cent of the world’s renewable fresh water resources, this potential saving takes on a monumental significance.
Studies conducted in the GCC show that it is gearing up for Renewable Energy (RE) outcomes for 2030, and UAE and Saudi Arabia score high in RE readiness. This is a positive sign in view of the 2012 World Bank report on Mena’s water situation, which stated that climate change will affect weather and precipitation patterns that could lead to the Mena region facing frequent and severe droughts. The report estimates that the cost of adapting to the impact of a 2°C rise in global average temperature could range from a conservative $70 (Dh257) billion to $100 billion per year between 2020 and 2050 and that between $13.7 billion and $19.2 billion of that amount would be related to water scarcity issues.
The need for the GCC to fast track its RE strategies is, therefore, paramount. Investing in alternative forms of energy such as biomass, geothermal heat and energy, ocean energy, wind power, solar photovoltaics (PV) and CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) is now no longer optional. It is imperative. This will not only provide the region with a heightened sense of energy security, but will also reverse environmental degradation, create more jobs, improve the quality of life and guarantee better health for people and the planet.
Happily for mankind, the sense of urgency regarding renewables is gathering steam. For example, the Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) 2014 states that by early 2014, at least 144 countries had renewable energy targets and 138 had renewable energy support policies in place, up from the previous year’s 138 and 127 countries, respectively.
It looks like the world is, finally, getting its priorities right.
