Despite grand projects, ambitious strategies and optimistic rhetoric, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states are still far from reaching their proclaimed renewable energy transition goals. This policy brief cuts through the green hype by providing a substantive evaluation of the growth of the renewable energy industry in two GCC states: the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Applying a political economy perspective, the authors demonstrate that the development of the renewable sector by the Emirati and Omani governments aims to increase fossil fuel exports, attract foreign investment into the non-oil economy, and create a greener image all at the same time. As a result, the renewable energy transition in the Gulf is conducted in a way that reinforces existing political-economic hierarchies, reframes the GCC’s role as a global energy supplier and stays away from radical transformation.
From the perspective of global efforts to slow down and mitigate negative effects resulting from climate change, the renewables strategy of both Gulf states signifies progress compared with their previous position of non-interest or even denial as it reduces their carbon pollution footprint, but it does not reflect a genuine commitment.
About the Authors
Máté Szalai is a Research Fellow at the Conflict Research Unit of Clingendael. As a member of the Middle East group, he specializes in the international relations and the domestic political economic systems of the broader Gulf region.
Matteo Colombo works as a Research Fellow at Clingendael’s Conflict Research Unit. He is part of its Middle East team focusing on political Islam, the rule of law, and the political economy of Egypt, Libya, Iraq, and Jordan.