Saudi Arabia advances 5 places globally in energy transition index
Saudi Arabia has jumped five places in the global Energy Transition Index (ETI) for the year 2021, according to the World Economic Forum’s Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2021 report published on April, 27, Saudi Gazette reports.
According to the report, the Kingdom now ranks 81st globally. It witnessed positive performance throughout the past 10 years in many of the report’s indices. The progress reflected the Kingdom’s efforts to speed up the transition to clean energy.
The report covered the performance of 115 economies in terms of their energy systems through three dimensions for the Energy Triangle:
economic development, growth and environmental sustainability;
energy security, access, and accessibility indicators;
and the degree of readiness to transition to safe, sustainable, affordable and inclusive energy systems.
According to the report, progress is evident in Saudi performance in political organization and commitment and institutional governance. The report further said that progress reflects clearly on selected indices, like economic growth and development, supported by the comparatively high level of fuel subsidization.
According to the WEF report, “Saudi Arabia is leading its neighbors in the field of accessibility to energy, security, and institutional governance.”
“There are many opportunities, which will help Saudi Arabia reach a more positive transition, and a greener and more sustainable transformation in the environmental sustainability dimension, especially in reducing the density of energy, decreasing the density of carbon in the energy blend via measures like expansion in the renewable energy resources, electricity, and using carbon absorption technologies”, the report added.
The report stressed that the transition to clean energy must be consolidated and included in economic, political and social practices to guarantee sustainable development.
Oman advances in 2020 Environmental Performance Index
The Sultanate advanced 6 positions in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) issued by Yale University in the United States of America (USA). The Sultanate ranked 110th in the world, compared to the 116th place in the 2018 Index, Oman Observer reports.
The Sultanate ranked 50th globally in the sub-indicator of Household Solid Waste Management, 96th in air quality indicator, 57th in Drinking Water and Sanitation, 2nd globally in the Species Protection, and 7th globally in Biodiversity indicator.
The Environmental Performance Index 2020 includes 32 environmental indicators, 12 of which are used for the first time covering 11 environmental fields.
The EPI sheds light on the uses of natural resources and the ability of these resources to provide the necessary services, not just in matters related to pollution.
This year’s EPI ranks 180 countries based on a number of indicators that provide a nationwide measure of how nearby countries set consistent environmental policy goals and hence finding a mechanism that highlights leading countries in terms of environmental performance and best practices.
