14 L.-C. SIM AND R. MILLS
The lack of sustained social activism in favor of low carbon energy
and the limited integration of climate policies into economic development plans discussed in Luomi’s chapter have implications for the
energy transition in MENA. They suggest a continuation of the top-down
pattern in state-society interactions and the perpetuation of the primacy
of hydrocarbon-based interests and networks domestically and in foreign
policy. The transition toward a low carbon future is likely to be gradual
and incremental so as not to imperil existing energy stakeholders, with
low carbon power included as an ‘add-on’ instead of the centerpiece of a
new energy policy.
Scope of the Book
Before proceeding to the rest of the chapters, a few comments about
scope of the book are necessary. First, throughout the book, the term
‘low carbon’ will refer to the deployment of non-hydrocarbon energy
sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, and nuclear energy as part of
the overall fuel mix. They emit no (during the operational phase) or low
levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (on a whole lifecycle basis) compared to fossil fuels. Energy efficiency measures, carbon
capture and storage, a circular economy, electric vehicles and the use of
hydrogen among others also inform the path toward a low carbon global
energy system, but they are beyond the scope of this book. While the
issue of low carbon energy waste—end-of-life wind turbine blades or solar
panels or radioactive waste—is an important one, its salience is still some
way off. This is because the average life span of solar panels and wind
turbines average 20–25 years while that of nuclear plants built today is
over 60 years.
Second, the objects of this volume are the countries within MENA.
They share common characteristics such as the dominance of the state
in economic and social patterns of interaction; and the outsize role of
energy in underwriting political, economic, and social stability, as well as
foreign relations. They also differ in many ways such as in terms of population size, resource endowment, governance, and integration into global
economy. Consequently, seven country- or area-specific chapters at the
beginning of the book are complemented by three chapters that deal with
themes relevant across the region. The contributors are all experts in their
respective fields and are a mix of energy practitioners and academics; each
chapter was also rigorously peer-reviewed by distinguished specialists.
The lack of sustained social activism in favor of low carbon energy
and the limited integration of climate policies into economic development plans discussed in Luomi’s chapter have implications for the
energy transition in MENA. They suggest a continuation of the top-down
pattern in state-society interactions and the perpetuation of the primacy
of hydrocarbon-based interests and networks domestically and in foreign
policy. The transition toward a low carbon future is likely to be gradual
and incremental so as not to imperil existing energy stakeholders, with
low carbon power included as an ‘add-on’ instead of the centerpiece of a
new energy policy.
Scope of the Book
Before proceeding to the rest of the chapters, a few comments about
scope of the book are necessary. First, throughout the book, the term
‘low carbon’ will refer to the deployment of non-hydrocarbon energy
sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, and nuclear energy as part of
the overall fuel mix. They emit no (during the operational phase) or low
levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (on a whole lifecycle basis) compared to fossil fuels. Energy efficiency measures, carbon
capture and storage, a circular economy, electric vehicles and the use of
hydrogen among others also inform the path toward a low carbon global
energy system, but they are beyond the scope of this book. While the
issue of low carbon energy waste—end-of-life wind turbine blades or solar
panels or radioactive waste—is an important one, its salience is still some
way off. This is because the average life span of solar panels and wind
turbines average 20–25 years while that of nuclear plants built today is
over 60 years.
Second, the objects of this volume are the countries within MENA.
They share common characteristics such as the dominance of the state
in economic and social patterns of interaction; and the outsize role of
energy in underwriting political, economic, and social stability, as well as
foreign relations. They also differ in many ways such as in terms of population size, resource endowment, governance, and integration into global
economy. Consequently, seven country- or area-specific chapters at the
beginning of the book are complemented by three chapters that deal with
themes relevant across the region. The contributors are all experts in their
respective fields and are a mix of energy practitioners and academics; each
chapter was also rigorously peer-reviewed by distinguished specialists.