Qatar in the Energy Transition: Low Carbon Economy Challenges and Opportunities

Climate change is accepted today as an indisputable fact resulting from human activity, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels. In order to prevent the catastrophic impacts of climate change, the world agreed in Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 to limit the global temperature rise above pre-industrial levels to 2 °C. To meet the Paris Agreement, a profound transformation of global energy systems is required from fossil fuel-based to low or zero carbon sources. This creates a risk for hydrocarbon-producing countries such as Qatar, which depend on fuel exports for income. In the short term, Qatar is well suited for the energy transition due to its abundance of natural gas, a widely acceptable transition fuel. Technological improvement in renewable energy as well as fast moving competition in the hydrogen market, showcase Qatar’s hydrocarbon export vulnerabilities. This chapter will provide a background on energy transition elements, Qatar’s efforts locally and internationally in the transition to a low carbon economy and highlights the opportunities and vulnerabilities for Qatar to build resilience.