Emission Cuts In The Middle East? You Must Be Joking!

By Paul Homewood   

  

http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.html

 

Continuing with our review of climate plans for Paris, it may come as little surprise to learn that neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran have submitted one yet. Nor Kuwait or Iraq for that matter.

The Middle East produces 6% of the world’s emissions of CO2, not insignificant, and the only major oil producer in the region to have submitted a plan is UAE, on which more in a minute.

Remember as well that these emissions are based on consumption, not production. Iran, for instance, consumes more natural gas than it produces, having to import from Turkmenistan. This is largely for heating during their extremely cold winters.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is reckoned to use a quarter of its oil production for domestic electricity generation, to power desalination plants and air conditioning.

 

So what about UAE, who have actually just submitted their plan today? (This may mean that Saudi Arabia’s might also turn up soon).

Their plan boils down to this:

 

http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/indc/Submission%20Pages/submissions.aspx

  

There is no mention of any cuts in emissions, only a promise to increase “clean energy” to 24% of the mix. This will be achieved by a combination of solar and nuclear.

No doubt that it eminently sensible for them, as it always makes sense to diversify your energy supply. And if solar cannot be economic in the middle of a desert, it never will.

But the UAE’s emissions have been rising in leaps and bounds, and there is nothing at all in the plan to even suggest that they won’t continue to do so.

 

http://cdiac.ornl.gov/GCP/

 

 

Nevertheless, let’s assume they stop increasing, and that the “clean energy” will therefore reduce emissions by 24%. It would simply mean that emissions fell back to 2007 levels.

Once again, we see that emission cuts from the rest of the world will amount to little more than diddly squat.