The headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will be located in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy. By hosting IRENA, the UAE, a peaceful multi-cultural country hosting residents of over 200 nationalities, clearly showed its globally recognized diplomatic success, political power and negotiation strength. However, there is no doubt that IRENA's location in the Arabian Gulf region will impose challenges and associated responsibilities on the host country.
However, UAE officials’ efforts to seek the hosting of IRENA in their country located in the leading petroleum exporting region is clear evidence of the country’s long-term commitment to environmental protection and its willingness to lead on the key emerging environmental issues like renewable energy and climate change. It may be mentioned here that Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the founder father of the United Arab Emirates and the globally known environmental pioneer, left a legacy of preserving the environment among the UAE people at all levels.
IRENA's presence in Abu Dhabi will definitely help the global members economic growth with a secure, affordable, reliable, clean and sustainable energy supply by promoting renewable energies. As regards the UAE and the GCC, in general evolving technologies in renewable energy will lead to diversification of energy sources and alleviate the pressure imposed on the naturally existing, over-exploited fossil fuel resources. This, in turn, will provide economic security and a sustainable solution for the increasing energy demand, rising energy prices and unequal distribution of energy sources. In addition, IRENA will increase the contribution of renewable energy to environmental and climate protection, and help in creation of job opportunities and inter-generational equity.
The hosting of IRENA by UAE involves a huge financial commitment but is also a political pledge to promote internally and externally the expansion of sustainable energy. The UAE is expected to face some pressure on the environmental front and be accountable due to IRENA's presence on its territory. The success of IRENA in the Gulf area might impose a sense of responsibility on the UAE; it is clearly linked to the UAE shown and offered facilitations that will ensure a smooth and effective implementation of IRENA's globally foreseen contributions in renewable energies.
From the environmental point of view, renewable energies, in general, produce very little greenhouse gas emissions. According to most recent studies promoting renewable energies together with energy efficiency can help to fight global warming by halving the GHG emissions by 2015, the year identified as the peak for GHG emissions. No other solution or technology currently available can achieve this goal.
Promoting renewable energies (mainly solar and, to a lesser extent, wind and biofuels) in the UAE and the Gulf region could drastically reduce the Gulf ecological footprint. It is well-known that the UAE had the highest footprint in 2006 and 2008 according to the “Living Planet report” issued by WWF and Ecological Footprint Network and that carbon footprint is the major component.
Renewables provide an answer to respond to a growing energy domestic demand with more environmental accordance. They have few air and water pollutants, wastes and land disruption. If renewable energy tools are carefully located (solar collectors on buildings or biofuel crops on marginal land), then there are few land use conflicts. In addition, renewables will help to boost various other environmental initiatives currently ongoing in the UAE such as Green Buildings and Clean Production as it can be a main solution to clean energy.
By hosting IRENA, regional awareness regarding renewable energy and environmental issues will rapidly increase in the Gulf region and sustainable eco-friendly energy consumption habits will get a boost. IRENA will attract many experts in the field of renewable energy, which “will make the region the Green Silicon Valley” with direct implications for the improvement of environmental standards.
A comprehensive environmental policy on clean energy implementation in the country should be the first step at this point. In January 2008, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced that he would give $15 billion to renewable energy; a sum equivalent to what President Obama has proposed to invest in the United States "to catalyze private sector efforts to build a clean energy future."
In this regard, Abu Dhabi said in January that renewable energy sources will make up seven percent of its total energy production by 2020. The author believes that, in light of IRENA headquarters being located in Abu Dhabi, this goal needs to be reviewed towards a higher percentage especially taking into account that many countries around the world have announced higher percentages. For example, the EU plans to increase the share of renewables in energy use to 20 percent by 2020, while China aims for 15 percent. Even now, the EU share of renewables is around 8.5 percent.
