سلطنة عمان

The decision by Washington and Tehran to shift their long-anticipated meeting, set for February 6, from Istanbul to Muscat is not merely a logistical detail. It is the latest reminder that when US-Iran diplomacy is on the verge of breaking down completely, Oman is the regional player the Iranian regime trusts the most to step in and mediate.

يوجد حالياً تباين بين الأهداف الاستراتيجية والظروف المواتية للطاقة الشمسية في الخليج ومستوى النشر الفعلي. على الرغم من الإمكانات الكبيرة للمنطقة كرائدة عالمية محتملة في مجال الطاقة الشمسية، بما في ذلك أحد أعلى مستويات الإشعاع الشمسي في العالم وظروف تشغيل داعمة قوية، لم تمثل الطاقة المتجددة سوى 2٪ من طاقة التوليد في عام 2022.

تقع دول الخليج الغنية بالهيدروكربونات في قلب الحزام الشمسي العالمي، مما يمنحها بعضًا من أكبر موارد الطاقة الشمسية في العالم. كما تتوافق ساعات الذروة في هذه البلدان بشكل جيد مع مستويات الإشعاع الشمسي اليومية والموسمية. ومع ذلك، فإن الاستخدام الفعلي للطاقة المتجددة، بما في ذلك الطاقة الشمسية، هو من بين الأدنى في العالم، على الرغم من زيادة الإنتاج بشكل كبير خلال السنوات الخمس الماضية. تحلل هذه الورقة الأسباب التي أدت إلى نجاح الطاقة الشمسية في بعض الدول، في حين لم تحقق سوى زخم ضئيل في دول أخرى.

Intense flooding across the Arabian Peninsula caused by a storm in mid-April sparked speculation about the role cloud seeding might have played in the precipitation event, giving rise to conspiracy theories on social media and warnings trumpeting the hazards of human intervention into natural processes. Cloud seeding is not the only climate change-adaptive strategy to have been targeted in this way, and the effort being expended to combat such disinformation (though nascent) is growing.

Home to around 1,000 forts, castles, and watchtowers, Oman has long used its historical structures to showcase the country’s rich history. Now, as part of an effort to promote cultural tourism, the sultanate is looking to develop more of them with a focus on the arts and cultural activities, giving its centuries-old heritage sites a new lease on life.

As the existential threat of climate change continues to intensify, the future of fossil fuels has been thrust into the international spotlight. Reducing hydrocarbon production and consumption has gained traction in international climate talks amid warnings that the window to avoid catastrophic warming is closing quickly.

Over the past decade of turmoil, conflict, and external military intervention in Yemen, Oman’s foreign policy has emerged as the Gulf exception. Muscat has pursued a unique role, driven by both pragmatic concern and opportunity. It has harnessed its relations with most of the actors involved, including armed non-state actors, and sought to access new economic opportunities as part of its policies of strategic hedging, omni-balancing, and undeclared alignment.

Hydrogen has been touted as an energy solution for the future and a leading mitigation technology against climate change. Among the states of the GCC, it has come to be seen as central to their energy transition strategy and a means to retain the region’s hegemonic position within global energy relations.

As a trailblazer in hydrogen diplomacy, Japan is seeking to develop a new pattern of energy interdependence with its longstanding partners, the Gulf Arab states — countries that are promising production bases for and exporters of green hydrogen and ammonia, and whose leaders have come to regard the development of clean hydrogen as an attractive way to diversify their economies.

خرجت دول الخليج من الجائحة العالمية برياح اقتصادية مواتية. لكن الأحداث البارزة مثل استضافة قطر لكأس العالم لكرة القدم وإكسبو الدولي في الإمارات العربية المتحدة استمرت في إخفاء نقطتي ضعف خفيتين ولكنهما مهمتين عانت منها هذه الدول لعقود. لماذا تفتقر اقتصادات الخليج إلى الابتكار؟ ولماذا تكافح من أجل خلق فرص عمل في القطاع الخاص للمواطنين؟

Several Gulf states have introduced renewable energy certificates into their low-carbon energy eco-system. What are RECs and how can they help companies navigate the energy transition?

في الشرق الأوسط، تسعى دول الخليج - من خلال العمل المشترك أو بشكل فردي - إلى تحقيق إنجازات علمية وتجارية جديدة في مختلف مجالات صناعة الفضاء. وترتبط هذه الطموحات بآثار جيوسياسية كبيرة، حيث يتفاوض عدد متزايد من الدول الفضائية حول قطاع حساس وذو قوة متزايدة.

The GCC governments still cover over 40% of the cost of domestic electricity production. Yet, electricity subsidy bills alone do not reflect the full extent of their economic losses. Once the forgone revenues from the export of natural gas and oil used to meet rising domestic energy demand are added in, the total economic cost of the GCC’s electricity is too great to ignore.

The Gulf Arab states, while major oil and gas producers, can play a significant role in supporting global efforts to achieve net-zero goals. They are not only endowed with great potential for renewable energy resources as well as some of the world’s lowest carbon content fuels, but also with, to varying extents, sizable financial resources. Yet, to unlock such huge potential, the Gulf Arab states will need to systematically identify and address the various challenges in their path to net zero.