SPECIAL FEATURE
INTERVIEW
“WE NEED TO RETHINK HOW WE RUN OUR ECONOMIES” Mueid Al Raee, Doctoral Fellow at the United Nations University (UNU-MERIT), Maastricht on why climate action is like undergoing surgery without anesthetic, but why we should not wait By Howard Hudson, OPEC Fund
OPEC Fund Quarterly : Many regions have made great progress towards achieving universal access to electricity, but some are lagging behind. What innovations or policy measures would help them to get on track? Mueid Al Raee : This question deals not only with private power access, but also industrial power access in a broader manner. Let me give you a two-step answer. First, for any country that is lagging behind I would say: look to the latest technology. When dealing with energy shortfalls in either generation or access, policy-makers tend to start with “tried and tested” older technology. But that’s a very unwise decision because it’s very clear that very soon they will have to build new networks that are future- ready; that are compatible with the inevitable international trade standards that we’re going to see in the coming years and decades. So, it’s important to focus on technology that’s future- ready in terms of wind turbines, solar photovoltaics, whatever is available on the market that ensures emissions are at the lowest levels. Second, when it comes to international development – including the provision of energy to large populations and industries – we need to build up a stronger model of public- private partnership. Given the urgency of building a sustainable economy that also meets the developmental needs of the people, the public side now needs to do more than simply provide the physical infrastructure; governments now need to provide the right conditions for private enterprise to come on board to a much greater degree. Projects need to be less
OFQ : Progress towards doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency has been fair, but also patchy. What innovations or policy measures would provide more impetus and traction where progress has stalled? MAR: The simple answer is to produce energy where it’s needed to minimize transmission losses. But energy efficiency is about much more. SDGs 7 and 13 consider all the various components of the energy market, including industry, shipping, right down to the cars on our roads – and in each and every one of these areas there are many different innovations that can help improve efficiency. Mass transit is one example that can make a big difference. So, the next question is: what are the incentives, what support measures are there, what are we doing in terms of city design? That takes us to SDG 11. Look at the increasingly popular concept of “15-minute cities” where each neighborhood is meant to fulfil six social functions: living, working, supplying, caring, learning and enjoying. That model can really improve mass transport efficiency at national levels – but of course there are tradeoffs and that’s part of a much bigger debate. We also need to recognize just how much we are conditioned to over- consume as societies. That is a big part of our inefficiencies. So, we need to think again about how we run our societies and economies. Are
PROFILE: MUEID AL RAEE
Mueid Al Raee is a Doctoral Fellow at the United Nations University (UNU-MERIT),
risky and more bankable, so there will have to be a lot of cooperation with UN agencies and multilateral development banks. Only then will we see the mass rollout of future-ready energy infrastructure for universal access. Maastricht, the Netherlands. He has an undergraduate degree in Chemical and Process Engineering and a postgraduate degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Strategic Management and Multinational Finance from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman. He was previously head of Program Management at OQ, a refining and petrochemicals business in Oman.
we responsible consumers and producers (SDG 12)? We have to rearrange in a way that our industries and our businesses do not suffer, but without resorting to impulsive
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