The environmental and energy policies to enable sustainable consumption and production in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Osama D Sweidan

doi:10.1007/s10098-021-02184-y

Abstract

Sustainable consumption and production mean that economic development should satisfy the needs of the current population without jeopardizing the lives of future generations. Relying on the hydrocarbon sector generates a significant trade-off between economic development and the environment. The GCC governments have an essential role in this process and can affect the outcomes. The policies that have been implemented in the GCC countries to protect the environment and empower sustainable consumption and production were explored and identified. Moreover, the success of these policies in achieving their goals was assessed. The analytical approach and utilizing the previous studies’ findings were used by the current study. This study finds that the institutional actions of the Gulf countries are not enough to generate sustainable consumption and production. These countries remain strongly affected by the hydrocarbon sector, and the diversification achievements are weak. Further, the energy price reforms have many problems as a tool to enhance sustainable consumption and production. Additionally, these countries work under the concept of entrepreneurial state capitalist. The government controls all the sectors, including the private sector, to secure the regime. The policy implication of the current paper is that the GCC countries should recover the process of diversifying the economy, enhancing the movements toward the free market economy, and adopting an efficient energy-environmental policy by enhancing more concrete actions toward new technologies. It includes shifting to renewable energy, i.e., solar and wind.Graphic abstract

Highlights

Sustainable economics is an old economic branch that focuses on allocating limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants, desires, and needs
The United Nations (UN) data show that the world is wasting around USD 1 trillion of food per year, and it can save USD 120 billion annually if the globe switch to more efficient energy use
The World Bank development indicators (WBDI) illustrate that the average real economic growth of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states is about 4.0% during the period (1995–2019)

Summary

Introduction

Sustainable economics is an old economic branch that focuses on allocating limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants, desires, and needs. Baumgartner and Quaas (2010) define sustainability economics as being ethically founded in the idea of not wasting scarce resources while achieving the two normative goals of (1) the fulfilling of the desires of the current population, and (2) justice, including justice between the present and future generations and justice toward nature. On September 25, 2015, the United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 universal agenda for sustainable development (Walsh et al 2020). It is an action plan for people, the planet, and prosperity. The agenda seeks to attain sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development, environmental protection, and combat poverty and hunger. It has 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets. The UN data show that the world is wasting around USD 1 trillion of food per year, and it can save USD 120 billion annually if the globe switch to more efficient energy use

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