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Pathways to achieving net zero: unlocking the potential of carbon markets
Societies must significantly increase commitments toward combating the most pervasive and threatening crisis of our time: the climate crisis. A sustainable transition worldwide, grounded in developing new energy sources, is the only way to give us a fighting chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2050. Transformational changes to the global and regional economy, including the pricing of greenhouse gases (GHGs), are to reach net zero targets. Effective carbon markets based on science-based decarbonization pathways are essential in enabling an efficient marketplace for deploying carbon pricing. The global debate around compliance and voluntary carbon markets is of utmost importance. It will be a critical topic at COP27, with leaders worldwide gathering to develop concrete pathways to reducing carbon emissions. In Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) recently announced the launch of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). It will connect the supply of carbon credits with demand from investors, corporates, and institutions wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. Key stakeholders, including Saudi Aramco, SAUDIA, ACWA Power, Ma’aden, and ENOWA, were announced as the first potential market partners. The energy transition journey is slow and complex, and countries must collaborate to achieve a worldwide energy transition. The Middle East is at the center of the global energy transition. With COP27 and COP28 taking place in the region, the world’s biggest oil and gas producers must scale up their efforts to find innovative solutions to transition systems.
Featured Speakers
Mustafa Alshehri, Executive Director of Sustainability, Middle East , SABIC
Fadi Al Shihabi, Partner, Head of Sustainability, Middle East, KPMG
Dr. Yousef Alshammari, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Imperial College London, Former Research Fellow, OPEC, CEO and Head of Oil Research, CMarkits
Fuad Al-Zayer, Independent Energy Consultant, Former Head of Data Services Division, OPEC, Former Head of the JODI Global Initiative, International Energy Forum (IEF)
Moderator: Dyala Sabbagh, Partner, Gulf Intelligence
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