Mohamed Alamin

Exploring the potential for Carbon trading schemes in the GCC

Exploring the potential for Carbon trading schemes in the GCC

Carbon Emissions and their relation to climate change are significant and have large societal and economic impacts globally. This has led to ambitious plans worldwide to promote decarbonisation and move away from fossil fuels as a primary energy source, including the GCC countries, with the example of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pledging to go “carbon neutral” by 2060. This article intends to explore how a carbon trading scheme can help the GCC achieve its “carbon neutrality” status. We explore the following: First, what is a carbon-trading scheme, and what evidence exists of its effectiveness around the world, secondly, we explore the current state of GCC emissions and what these emissions could mean towards the region. Last, we look at the implications of continuous unchecked GCC emissions for the region, and what policy recommendations we can implement to counteract them.