{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Fossil vs Future","title":"WHAT ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST? Relying on fossil fuels or leading clean energy? ","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2414,"description":"The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region sits at the heart of the world’s energy system, home to many of the top oil and gas producers. Yet it also one of the most climate-vulnerable regions, with huge renewable energy potential.In this episode, James and Daisy discuss the region’s climate challenges. How is MENA impacted by climate change? Is the region serious about the energy transition? What were the key takeaways from Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Masdar – A fast-growing renewable energy company owned by three UAE energy companies (ADNOC, Mubadala Investment Company, and TAQA) with projects in 40+ countries across six continents with a combined capacity of more than 65GW. COP28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber chairs Masdar while also leading ADNOC. Masdar is building the world’s largest solar-plus battery project, that will run 24 hours a day, displacing 5.7 million tons of CO2 annually – equivalent to planting 100 million trees and covering 90 square kilometres, roughly the size of Copenhagen.Zayed Sustainability Prize – The UAE's global award that recognises SMEs, nonprofits, and schools with impactful sustainable solutions. This year’s Energy winner was Switzerland’s BASE Foundation with its cooling-as-a-service solution. Ignite Energy Access, a UAE-based climate-tech company scaling sustainable infrastructure solutions across Africa won the Energy Innovation category at COP28.OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) – One of the world’s largest sustainability gatherings, hosted by Masdar. Our World in Data – A graph of oil production by region shows that roughly one third comes from the Middle East. Ember (2025)– In 2023, 7% of the Middle East’s electricity was generated from clean sources, below the global average of 39%. Saudi Arabia aims for 50% renewable electricity by 2030.IEA (2025) – In 2024, MENA supplied over 30% of the world’s oil and nearly 20% of its natural gas. Between 2000 and 2024,...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/dCUOC8ZSbKuKa-ws2silA6bT7eQxC922J__RXwMyKeI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xZTI3/MGYwMjk3YzIwZjhj/YTlmODI0NmI3NzJk/ZmM5ZC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}