African Union

IISD Reporting Services has provided coverage of selected GCC Pavilion events at the Marrakech Climate Change Conference, including written, digital and video coverage. The following event was covered on Tuesday, 15 November 2016: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Contributions to the Development of Clean Technology Innovation Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Contributions to the Development of Clean Technology InnovationPresented by the GCC This side event, moderated by Abdulaziz Al-Jodai, the International Energy Agency’s Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme and Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), focused on efforts in the GCC to innovate clean technologies to address carbon emissions. Mohammed Al Hajji, Saudi Aramco, spoke about his company’s work on achieving environmental sustainability through clean energy technology development. He outlined the process of cleaning gas using amine sweeteners, and drew attention to hydraulic energy recovery skids, which are used to recover and reuse “waste energy.” He noted that this energy can power more than 4,000 homes, and enhance the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector. Badr Alharbi, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), spoke on the state of global atmospheric CO2 and methane levels and implications for projected climate impacts in GCC countries, noting that the current emissions trajectory will lead to a more than 2°C temperature rise. He shared that the Earth’s temperature could increase by 1.5°C in ten years, underscoring that each year from 2004 has been warmer than the last, which has meant a 1-2°C temperature increase in the Arabian Peninsula. He noted various negative impacts of temperature rise, stressing that even in the best case scenario, temperature rise in the Arabian Peninsula will be unprecedented. Boon Ooi, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), spoke on next generation energy efficient lighting, noting that Saudi Arabia is investing in research and development of laser lighting technologies. He drew attention to the energy savings from laser lighting as compared to LEDs, noting that focused laser beams can be used for light without producing heat. He said that while it is now possible to use a beam mixer to create white light bulbs, this area needs further work to make these light bulbs more efficient, and noted challenges related to high power solid-state lighting, including the cost and the need for more research. In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed the safety concerns related to laser lighting, disposal of laser lighting material concerns. Panel (L-R): Abdulaziz Al-Jodai, IEAGHG and SABIC; Mohammed Al Hajji, Saudi Aramco; Badr Alharbi, KACST; and Boon Ooi, KAUST Boon Ooi, KAUST, introduced “Li-Fi,” which he described as lighting technology that is combined with the internet to produced high speed internet and lighting concurrently. Abdulaziz Al-Jodai, IEAGHG and SABIC Badr Alharbi, KACST, noted that Saudi Arabia will experience more warming than other GCC countries, highlighting that by 2031 warming will be more than 2 degrees Celsius. Mohammed Al Hajji, Saudi Aramco, underscored that skid technology will be used in two new project to capture almost 9 megawatts, and noted that this game-changing technology could influence other clean technology innovations in the world. Contact: Ridzuan Zulkifli (Coordinator) | ridzuan.zulkifli@aramco.com More Information: http://www.ksa-cop.com/ About | 9 Nov | 10 Nov | 12 Nov | 14 Nov | 15 Nov | 16 Nov | 17 Nov | 18 Nov | Summary Funding for coverage of GCC COP 22 Side Events has been provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Resource for the GCC Side Events Website for the GCC COP 22 Side Events Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at COP 22 Resources for the Marrakech Climate Change Conference - November 2016 Website for the Marrakech Climate Change Conference - November 2016 Overview Schedule for the Marrakech Climate Change Conference - November 2016 Host Country Website IISD ENB/ENB+ Meeting Coverage Marrakech Climate Change Conference - November 2016 (Negotiations), 9-18 November 2016, Marrakech, Morocco Marrakech Climate Change Conference - November 2016 (Side Events), 9-18 November 2016, Marrakech, Morocco 44th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-44), 17-20 October 2016, United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, Thailand Bonn Climate Change Conference - May 2016, 16-26 May 2016, Bonn, Germany High-Level Signature Ceremony for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, 22 April 2016, UN Headquarters, New York IPCC-43, 11-13 April 2016, Headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi, Kenya Paris Climate Change Conference - November 2015, 29 November - 13 December 2015, Paris, France Bonn Climate Change Conference - October 2015, 19-23 October 2015, Bonn, Germany IPCC-42, 5-8 October 2015, Dubrovnik, Croatia Bonn Climate Change Conference - August 2015, 31 August - 4 September 2015, Bonn, Germany Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2015, 1-11 June 2015, Bonn, Germany 9th Meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board, 24-26 March 2015, Songdo, Republic of Korea IPCC-41, 24-27 February 2015, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya Geneva Climate Change Conference - February 2015, 8-13 February 2015, Geneva, Switzerland Lima Climate Change Conference - December 2014, 1-14 December 2014, Lima, Peru IPCC-40, 27-31 October 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark Bonn Climate Change Conference - October 2014, 20-25 October 2014, Bonn, Germany UN Climate Summit 2014 - “Catalyzing Action”, 23 September 2014, UN Headquarters, New York Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2014, 4-15 June 2014, Bonn, Germany 12th Session of the IPCC Working Group III (WGIII-12) and IPCC-39, 7-12 April 2014, Berlin, Germany Bonn Climate Change Conference - March 2014, 10-14 March 2014, Bonn, Germany WGII-10 and IPCC-38, 25-29 March 2014, Yokohama, Japan IPCC-37, 14-17 October 2013, Batumi, Georgia IPCC-36, 23-26 September 2013, Stockholm, Sweden Additional IISD Resources CLIMATE-L - A Mailing List for News on Climate Change Policy SDG Knowledge Hub - An online resource center for news and commentary regarding the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Linkages Update - Bi-weekly International Environment and Sustainable Development News