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3 - The GCC and the Circular Carbon Economy

Progress and Potential

from Part II - Circular Carbon Economy and Pathway Frameworks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2025

Wael A. Samad
Affiliation:
Rochester Institute of Technology – Dubai
Ahmed Badran
Affiliation:
University of Qatar
Elie Azar
Affiliation:
Carleton University
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Summary

The circular carbon economy (CCE) concept aims to provide a holistic, technology-agnostic, and cost-effective framework for assessing climate change mitigation options and pathways at a global, national, or organisational level with the ultimate goal of full carbon circularity or net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To help policy discussions around the CCE, we developed the CCE Index, which covers 30 major economies and oil-producing countries on 47 quantitative indicators in its first edition in 2021. Using the 2021 Edition index results, this chapter compares the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to their relevant peers. While GCC countries outperform their non-OECD and African peers, there is still room for improvement compared to high-income countries. Our findings suggest that underutilised technologies, such as renewable energy and nuclear energy, have great potential to improve CCE performance in the region. Increased access to sustainable finance and a more ambitious transition investment agenda can better position the region in accelerating the CCE transition. More broadly, the GCC countries should undertake further efforts to increase emissions circularity if they wish to maintain their competitiveness amidst the global transition to net-zero in many performance and enablers areas of the CCE transition.

Type
Chapter
Information
Carbon Neutrality in the Gulf
Between Well-intentioned Pledges and the Harsh Reality
, pp. 30 - 56
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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