At COP27 in Egypt, a spotlight on the opportunity for Middle Eastern and North African leadership

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has the potential to become a global leader in zero-carbon fuels, particularly hydrogen, by utilizing its geographic position and natural resources. While countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE have announced projects using wind, solar, and natural gas with carbon capture, the region requires international cooperation and demand signals to scale infrastructure. Success depends on transitioning from one-off projects to a systematic approach that addresses high costs and infrastructure gaps, supported by partnerships between MENA countries and buyers in Asia and the EU.

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global demand for hydrogen will increase by more than 500% by 2050 as the world shifts toward low-emitting fuel sources.
• The Middle East and North Africa region can lead the global supply of decarbonized energy by utilizing its financial assets, technical expertise, natural resources, and its location at the intersection of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
• Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE have announced projects to produce hydrogen using solar power, wind power, and natural gas combined with methane mitigation and carbon capture and storage, primarily for export to the power and transportation sectors.
• Egypt and other regional actors are addressing methane emissions, a prerequisite for low-emissions hydrogen, with Egypt specifically reducing flaring in its oil and gas sector as a signatory of the Global Methane Pledge.
• The development of a global zero-carbon fuel market is currently hindered by high costs, a lack of infrastructure, and insufficient demand, requiring a shift from isolated projects to a systematic, long-term international approach.

APA

Azadegan, O. (2022). At COP27 in Egypt, a spotlight on the opportunity for Middle Eastern and North African leadership. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2022/11/at-cop27-egypt-spotlight-opportunity-middle-eastern-north-african-leadership/

Chicago

Azadegan, Olivia. At COP27 in Egypt, a spotlight on the opportunity for Middle Eastern and North African leadership. Clean Air Task Force, 2022. https://www.catf.us/2022/11/at-cop27-egypt-spotlight-opportunity-middle-eastern-north-african-leadership/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Azadegan |first1=Olivia |title=At COP27 in Egypt, a spotlight on the opportunity for Middle Eastern and North African leadership |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=10 November 2022 |url=https://www.catf.us/2022/11/at-cop27-egypt-spotlight-opportunity-middle-eastern-north-african-leadership/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{azadegan2022cop27, author = {Azadegan, Olivia}, title = {{At COP27 in Egypt, a spotlight on the opportunity for Middle Eastern and North African leadership}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.catf.us/2022/11/at-cop27-egypt-spotlight-opportunity-middle-eastern-north-african-leadership/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }