Qatar University’s College of Law holds conference entitled “Ensuring Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy in the MENA Region: Beyond COP27.” The conference aims to examine energy transition in the MENA region from a legal, institutional, and policy perspective through the lens of SDG7 focusing on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
During the conference, participants shed light on current developments, international cooperation initiatives and investments in infrastructure and technologies related to the topic. The contributions will be published in a special issue by the AIPN Journal of World Energy Law & Business by Oxford University Press.
Dean of the College of Law, Dr. Talal Al-Emadi said during the conference, “Currently, the Arab world is seeking to curb environmental pollution and climate change, which have already caused great harm and are expected to further affect Arab nations. Some countries in the Arab world are experiencing record-breaking temperatures, while others are suffering from water scarcity and extreme weather patterns.”
Dr. Talal Al-Emadi also noted that energy governance is extensively debated today, and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. Globally, various organizations have been established to respond to challenges posed by this phenomenon, such as the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency. The question of energy governance has been subject to deep analysis and dialogue, debated under legal themes and from an interdisciplinary perspective.
In the face of these concerns, one may wonder if the Arab world is successfully meeting its energy transition challenges. Qatar, for example, has been actively participating in the global efforts to address climate change through provision of cleaner natural gas fuels to the global energy market, thereby reducing the international consumption of carbon intensive alternatives.
Through the National Climate Change Action Plan, Qatar intends to reduce 25% of its greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. Currently, Arab nations are signaling to the entire world their readiness to embrace a proper energy shift. We are witnessing increasing Arab participation in this conversation, as is evidenced by the states scheduled to host the upcoming COP27. Egypt hosted COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh this month, and the UAE will be hosting COP28 in Dubai in 2023. As such, this conference is particularly relevant in terms of the timing and topics addressed by its various contributors. It is worth mentioning that Qatar University is also represented in the National Committee for Climate Change in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and participates in the annual COPs.
Source: Qatar University