Amid the increasing number of coronavirus deaths, confirmed cases and the fear for new waves of the virus, a number of positive news stories have gone unnoticed, especially when it comes to the environment.
Dubai witnessed the completion of the world’s tallest solar power tower, part of the largest concentrated solar power project in the world. This is a major contribution to the implementation of the objectives of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy, which had set the target of providing 75% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2050. The importance of this technology lies in its ability to turn solar radiation into thermal energy, which can be stored to produce electricity after sunset. Project partners include the Chinese Silk Road Fund, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and ACWA Power, a Saudi company that has become a leading global player in the renewable energy arena.
A day after Dubai’s solar power milestone, Saudi Arabia made its clearest commitment to date to shift to green economy policies. In a virtual seminar held last week in preparation for the G20 summit to be hosted by Riyadh next November, Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman announced that Saudi Arabia will accelerate its energy efficiency programme and expand the use of solar and wind energy in the coming decade. Efficiency will not only be limited to reducing consumption, but will also contribute to achieving an increase in industrial and agricultural output, enhancing the welfare of citizens, improving access to modern communication and expanding sustainable transportation networks. Achieving a better quality of life in this sense will not necessarily equate to greater consumption and more carbon emissions.
It is worth noting that the Saudi Ministry of Petroleum became the Ministry of Energy four years ago, marking a new era in which oil has become part of the energy mix, in line with the overall diversification of the country’s economy. Referring to a new facet in the Saudi economic transformation plan, Prince Abdulaziz has stressed his country’s commitment to put the principles of a circular economy in action by rationalizing consumption and reducing waste, as well as promoting recycling and reuse. These efforts will help preserve the environment and contribute to global actions designed to reduce carbon emissions that cause climate change.
Rather than using the extraordinary pressures that the global economy is facing today as an excuse to ease environmental reform, Prince Abdulaziz has also said that the pandemic should incite more rigorous environmental measures. These should be enforced together with devising alternative tracks leading to balanced development that enhances the health of both people and the environment. Although global carbon emissions have decreased due to the pandemic, it will not last for long. As such, immediate global action is still needed to reduce carbon emissions in the long term as a prerequisite to successfully deal with climate change.
Along similar lines, another development last week almost went unnoticed, as the Supreme Council of Universities in Egypt approved the inclusion of sustainable management of natural resources as a full-fledged master’s degree. The Egyptian environment minister also announced that a new educational material related to climate change, biological diversity and desertification has been integrated into school curricula at all levels, in addition to the inclusion of the environment in extracurricular activities and field studies. The material to a large extent draws on the Environmental Education Manual produced last November by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED). The manual, part of AFED’s environmental education initiative, has been designed to help Arab ministries include reliable environmental content in school curricula and integrate environmental topics in extracurricular activities. It was offered to ministries and schools across the Arab world in print and online versions.
The preoccupation with finding a coronavirus vaccine did not stop scientists from continuing to develop environmentally friendly products, the latest of which is a substitute for plastic that can be produced from seaweed. This degradable substance can replace single-use bags and packaging materials, which are currently of the most precarious pollutants, especially in the oceans.
Another positive piece of news that also almost went unnoticed is a study from the University of California, which showed that roughly half of Earth's ice-free land remains without significant human influence. Despite the fact that human activities have destroyed many of the planet’s resources, we still have another largely untouched half that is capable of supporting human life. The positive takeaway is that we can work to save this largely untouched half from being destroyed while repairing the other half.
From state policies to science, not all news is negative. When the minister of energy of the largest oil country and environmental experts agree on similar priorities and start talking the same language, we know that we are on the right track. Sustainable development is based on working in harmony with nature, not against it. Did the coronavirus pandemic play a role in stimulating these positive ideas and initiatives? So far it has at least taught us humility, besides revealing that the drive to progress by staying positive will prevail, despite the setbacks.