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Expert Commentary Articles

A New Multilateral Energy Track:
China, SCO, and MENA Climate Collaboration

10 September 2025

China is deepening energy and climate ties with MENA through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), shifting from transactional oil and gas trade to strategic partnerships. With new cooperation platforms, Egypt’s potential accession, and stronger GCC involvement, the SCO is emerging as a vehicle for advancing renewables, regional governance, and China’s role in the MENA energy transition.

A large industrial furnace with molten metal pouring out, sparks and intense orange glow inside a metalworking factory.

Green Industrialization:
An Opportunity for MENA Economies

2 Sepember 2025

The MENA region has a great opportunity ahead. It can harness its world-class solar and wind to drive green industrialization. By turning cheap green electrons and green molecules into steel, fertilizers, and clean fuels, the region can diversify its economies, capture global markets, and create millions of jobs.

A man wearing traditional Middle Eastern attire, including a red and white checkered keffiyeh, standing in a vast solar panel farm in a desert landscape under a cloudy sky.

Saudi Arabia’s Quiet Revolution: How the Kingdom is Rapidly Scaling Renewables

29 August 2025

Saudi Arabia, long defined by oil, is quietly staging one of the fastest renewable energy scale-ups in the world. With 15 GW of solar and wind awarded in a single deal and nearly 60 GW now in its pipeline, the Kingdom is rapidly shifting from plans to execution, positioning itself as both a global oil giant and an emerging clean energy leader.

A desert landscape with rolling sand dunes and sparse vegetation, with a tall lighthouse in the distance emitting a bright light at the top.

Tripling Renewables in the Mediterranean:
A Path to Cooperation

18 August 2025

Cross-border projects, such as the Italy-Tunisia link and the Morocco-Spain interconnectors, demonstrate how shared infrastructure can enhance resilience. Renewables could transform a region long defined by competition into one of collaboration and cooperation.

An old red boat resting on a dry, cracked riverbank with distant hills and a man walking by the water in the background.

Rethinking Water Governance:
Climate Adaptation Strategies for the MENA Region

21 August 2025

Severe water scarcity is threatening stability, food security, and human development across the MENA region. Reliance on fossil aquifers, inefficient agriculture, and fragmented governance have left countries dangerously unprepared for climate extremes. Placing water at the heart of adaptation policies offers a path to resilience and long-term sustainability.

A large solar panel farm in a desert landscape during sunset with mountains in the background.

Energy Security in the Mediterranean:
The Case for Tripling Renewables

26 August 2025

The Mediterranean faces a stark choice: remain exposed to fuel shocks, blackouts, and volatile fossil fuel markets, or triple renewable capacity to meet surging demand. As electricity use climbs and climate extremes intensify, energy security is emerging as the central driver of the region’s clean energy transition.

Industrial scene with multiple high-voltage power lines and towers, emitting thick smoke or steam, under an orange-tinted sky.

After the Blackout:
Can Iraq Swap Dependence for Clean Power?

15 August 2025

Iraq’s nationwide blackout underscored a deeper crisis: structural dependence on Iranian energy imports amid record-breaking heat. Repeated supply cuts, sanctions pressure, and a fragile grid are leaving the country dangerously exposed. Breaking the cycle will require scaling renewables, modernizing transmission, and reducing demand inefficiencies.