GCC – Japan Environment Relations and its Growing Significance

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The rise of Japan as an economic giant and the estranged relations between the United States and the Arab world resulted in a closer relationship between the Arab Gulf states and Japan – not only economically, but also in other pressing issues like environmental management. As climate change and other environmental issues take center stage in global forums, the need for clean energy becomes apparent and internationally relevant. Many nations including GCC rich oil countries are exploring avenues to lower carbon emissions to ensure their viability when their hydrocarbon deposits have been depleted.
GCC-Japan relations are mostly built upon a foundation of mostly economic and trade-based exchanges. But what does it hold for the environment and what can we do to create useful relations to benefit environmental causes between the two parties?
This section highlights the environmental issues and renewable in Japan and the GCC as well as the current and potential collaborations between them and US.

Japan’s Economy:

Japan is one of the world’s largest consumers of fossil fuels (4.363 million bbl/day). Its estimated GDP per capita was $ 32,600 in the year 2009. Due to deflation, its economy is not very stable. Public dept was 192.9% of GDP in 2009. It is dependent on imported resources such as minerals, grain oil and gas (oil imports: 5.033 million bbl/day). High technological development can be seen in the fields of consumer electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, optical fibers, optoelectrics, optical media, facsimile and copy machines, fermentation processes in food and biochemistry. Japan is market leader in environmental friendly technologies, for example in the car industry, Honda and Toyota and its hybrid electric vehicles are a good example.
As in many other countries of the world, Climate Change is also causing an increase in temperature in Japan. Climate Change leads to an increase in precipitation, as well as an increase in floods in the country. It can be seen, that the rate of spawning fishes is decreases, which can be a threat on Japan�fs food supply, as its diet consists in great parts of fish.

GCC’s Economy:

The economy of the GCC countries accounts for 29% of the world’s proven oil reserves and 1/5 of the world’s proven gas reserves and therefore the countries gain immensely from the rise in oil prices. The majorities of the exports are hydrocarbons (75%) and related products. Machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals, chemicals count as the main imports count as the main imports.
As the hydrocarbon industry is capital intensive, rather than labor intensive, a significant proportion of the manpower required is provides by foreign companies. The countries challenges are diversification, geopolitical risk and inflation that can be cause by rising food prices, rising labor costs, weak US Dollar and strong domestic demand.
As well as in Japan, Climate Change is causing increase in temperature in the GCC Countries. It is leading to an increase in precipitation and increased occurrence of natural disaster as floods. A severe problem is the water scarcity that is proceeding with high temperatures, population growth and overexploitation of groundwater resources.

GCC: Environmental Problems

Environmental issues have reached an international level and that calls for more than unilateral action. It is no longer effective to work in isolation on the problem; sharing knowledge on environmental management and having joint projects between countries in the region is probably the first step towards a holistic solution.
To do so, it would be most useful to start by looking at the common environmental problems of the GCC countries. Countries with common problems share a similar need and experience that makes it easier to identify areas of cooperation that would be relevant to all parties involved.

GCC’s Problems:

• Desertification:
  When of drought-ridden land in combination with high temperatures and scarcity of water is overexploited, it turns into desert and can hardly be used again as arable land.
• Air Pollution:
  Seasonal sand and dust storms carry pollutants to great distances and cause problems and diseases beyond boundaries. The lack of a comprehensive public transport network necessitates vehicle ownership to travel around which increases the overall vehicle emissions. Furthermore, the high carbon dioxide emission rate is due to the production of hydrocarbons.
• Coastal Degradation:
  The coastal development and especially the real estate projects are heavily responsible for destruction of coral reefs and its population The coastal development removes plant material that previously prevented soil erosion and so proceeds coastal degradation.
• Water Pollution:
  Oil spills due to heavy traffic on oil shipping routes are one of the main causes of water pollution in the GCC countries. Furthermore, due to overexploitation of water resources, salinity increases. Waste dumping and desalination facilities also contribute to water pollution.
• Soil Pollution:
  Accumulation of salt deposits due to increase in salinity of water table, this is linked to reduced biodiversity and moisture of the soil.
• Lack of fresh/potable water:
  With further industrialization, stress on freshwater increases. Rapid depletion and overexploitation of groundwater resources also lead to a lack of fresh and potable water

Current GCC – Japan Environmental Collaborations

• Bahrain:
  Japan and Bahrain have agreed to work together in combating marine pollution. They took the first in 2001, with a lecture by Tokyo's Tokai University professor Kisaburo Nakata, reported the Manama-based Gulf Daily News. The event was part of the implementation of the Kono Initiative, which was proposed by Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Yohei Kono during his visit to the GCC earlier that year.
  
  JGC Corporation was awarded a lump-sum contract by The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) for the expansion of its refinery, including the construction of a new hydrocracking unit. The project was planned by BAPCO in order to increase production of low-sulfur diesel that meets strict European environmental regulations. JGC provided design, procurement, construction management and commissioning assistance services. The completing was scheduled for the end of 2006.
  
  Bahrain is set to join the December 2009 Climate Change Conference and is further organizing a conference on energy and the environment in cooperation with the JPIC in February 2010.
  
  Japan has already taken extraordinary steps to cut emissions and to invest in alternative technologies. In a recent speech in April 2009, by the then Prime Minister of Japan, Taro Aso, he talks of leading the world in low carbon emissions, to become the number one solar powered nation in the world and to popularize eco-cars.
  
  The Gulf countries are also very keen to develop their alternative energy sources and a future role for Japan in transferring much needed technological innovations would be most beneficial not only for Bahrain and the Gulf but for the future environment.
  
  The 18th GCC-Japan Environment Symposium and Second Joint Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR) - Japan Co-operation Centre Petroleum (JCCP) Environment Symposium 2010 is being held under the theme 'Environment and Water Resources for Our Future.
  
  Sumitomo Corporation and Japan AE Power Systems Corporation have received four orders for Engineering, Procurement and Erection of Substation, from Electricity & Water Authority and private companies in Bahrain in 2010.
  
  The two orders from the Electricity & Water Authority include the construction of seven new 66kV substations and expansions and modification of the existing three 220kV substations and two 66kV substations.
  
  In January 2010, GPIC has celebrated the opening of its environmental friendly carbon dioxide recovery plant. The recovery unit was opened end of December 2009; it can capture 450 metric tons of carbon dioxide per day. The captured carbon dioxide will increase the daily production of Methanol by 120 metric tons and Urea by 80 metric tons. The Carbon Dioxide Recovery Plant is aligned with Bahrain's Economic Version 2030. In cooperation with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), GPIC is planning to register the project within the UN clean industry program. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd of Japan was the main construction company of the project; tech-provider Company was Technoment of Italy while the subcontractor was the Bahraini MCSC.
  
  
• Kuwait:
  A good example of cooperation between Japan and Kuwait in the field of the environment is the “Initiative for Kuwait-Japan Cooperation on Environmental Issues and Technology Transfer” of December 2002, one of which achievements is the Environmental Rehabilitation of Kuwait Bay.
  It is a joint research activity for cleaning sea water and collecting experimental data from artificial tidal flats at Shuwaikh Beach.
  Japan and Kuwait are also promoting Kid’s ISO Program in which Japan will offer environmental education program at public schools in Kuwait from the summer of 2007. It is supposed to help Kuwaiti school children learn how to preserve the environment and how to save energy.
  The Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water recently launched a tender for the construction of a power plant in Subiya, Kuwait, with a deal expected to be signed by July. Subiya Plant will have a power capacity in the region of 2000 MW and cost approximately $2.4 billion to build.
  Six pre-qualifiers for bidding included Germany's Siemens, GE, Japan's Mitsui & Co and Marubeni Corporation, Spain's Iberdrola Ingenieria Y Construccion and Canada's SNC-Lavalin.
  Kuwait has joined a growing list of oil exporters that are seeking to harvest carbon dioxide from industrial plants to put to use in aging oilfields. Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation have agreed to exchange information about oil recovery technology using CCS. The Japanese hope that this project will lead to invitations to join oil projects in Kuwait; while for Kuwait there would be the chance to substitute carbon dioxide for part of the natural gas that is currently injected to create reservoir pressure vital to maintaining crude output.
  
• Oman:
  Eight Japanese companies made their presentation on water related advanced technologies as well as their experience in its financial aspects at a seminar held at Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry in October 2009. The seminar was being held to provide the Japanese and Omani companies to share each other’s experience and find out opportunities and possibilities of cooperation and collaboration.
  In the water sector exists a Joint Development of new treatment process of oil contaminated waste water and tank sledge in Oman between Japan’s Petroleum Energy Centre (PEC) and the Sultan Qaboos University in Oman.
  Furthermore Japan and Oman agreed on a Joint Project for the development of low cost battery while executing the long term exposure test of new-type solar cells to utilize regional characteristics of geography and climate in Oman.
  The concerned authorities are Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Sultan Qaboos University in Oman.
  ‘Mist-Catcher’ is a project that was coined by Tomoo Shoji, an expert environmental specialist working for the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) on a joint venture with the Oman Ministry of the Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA). The Mist-Catcher Project is a scheme to collect water from the misty rain that falls during the annual khareef in Dhofar. This water is used to irrigate the planting and growing of trees on the mountains, so that vegetation which has been lost through desertification can be recovered. The project began in 2008, and is a five year project, so it�fs now in its third year.
  
• Qatar:
  Mitsui Corporation of Japan was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the Ras Girtas Power & Water Plant in Qatar. This project in turn sub-contracted Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company of Korea, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry of Japan and Sidem of France. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2010; meanwhile the project will be completed in April 2011.
  Ras Girtas Co. for Power is a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum (15%), Qatar Electricity and Water Company (45%), GDF Suez of France (20%), Mitsui Corporation of Japan (10%), Chubu Corporation of Japan (5%) and Shikoku Corporation of Japan (5%).
  The first-ever joint symposium on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, organized by Qatar Petroleum (QP) Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Japan Cooperation Centre-Petroleum (JCCP) was held in Doha 2007.
  Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as proposed by the Kyoto Protocol, remained the key theme of discussion among specialists and domain experts, during the first session of the three-day symposium. Hatano informed, since the inception of JCCP in 1981, Japan had sent 80 experts to Qatar and received 330 domain specialists from here.
  Specially configured shipping containers have been developed by the c Japan-based Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. Though several countries, including some GCC countries and Russia, have placed their orders for the unique system, Qatar is the first country to receive it. Mitsubishi Chemical Corp announced in Tokyo that it would sell the specially configured shipping containers for growing vegetables, with the first delivery to be made to Qatar in April 2010.
  Japan will dispatch a mission to help establish energy- efficient technologies in Qatar next January in a move also designed to ensure a stable energy supply from the Middle East country.
  They pledged to further strengthen their relationship after holding a meeting of the Japan-Qatar Joint Economic Committee in Tokyo, confirming the importance of a possible bilateral investment agreement as well as a free trade accord between Japan and a group of Middle East countries under negotiation.
  Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima and Qatari Deputy Premier Abdullah al-Attiyah signed the joint statement. Japan and Qatar regularly meet under the joint economic committee, launched in November 2006. The latest meeting was their fourth.
  
• Saudi Arabia:
  The Kingdom has reached an agreement with two Japanese companies, Toyobo, and ITOCHU Corporation, to build a plant in Saudi Arabia to construct the equipment used in the desalination plants, making it much easier to construct new water producing facilities as needed.
  The new plant will be called the Arabian Japanese Membrane Company, and will combine the expertise of Toyobo, an expert in the manufacture of desalination membrane material with that of Itochu, which builds large manufacturing facilities. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2011. The two Japanese companies will work together with the Saudi infrastructure developer ACWA Holding to construct the plant, which will be located 150 km north of the port city of Jeddah in the Rabigh Technical Park on the Red Sea Coast.
  The third partner ITOCHU has considerable experience building seawater desalination plants in Saudi Arabia since 1970’s.
  The new venture between Saudi Arabia and Japan does point the importance of international cooperation in projects, which will help increase of fresh water supplies to a region where this resource is sorely lacking.
  Furthermore, Saudia Arabia's Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has started a joint research project with the Japanese Water Recycling Center focusing on integrating high-tech nanotechnology water treatment in the current process of distillation operations. The project has started at the Corporation Institute for saline water research in Jubail city.
  The Kingdom has reached an agreement with two Japanese companies, Toyobo and Itochu Corporation, to build a plant in Saudi Arabia to construct the equipment used in desalination plants. The new plant will be called the Arabian Japanese Membrane Company and will combine the expertise of Toyobo with that of Itochu. The two companies will work together with Saudi infrastructure developer ACWA Holding to construct the plant. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2011, and when completed, the company will manufacture reverse osmosis membrane elements for seawater desalination.
  
• United Arab Emirates:
  The largest power and desalination project financing to date in the Middle East was closed in 2005 with the signing of the financial facilities agreement for Abu Dhabi�fs Taweelah B IWPP. The project was financed with a $2.11 billion loan provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and a syndicate of 15 international and regional commercial banks.
  The project covers the upgrade of an existing natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation and desalination plant and the expansion of facilities at the Taweelah site. On completion of the expansion phase, Taweelah B will produce 2,000MW of power and 750,000m3/d of desalinated water. Electricity and water will be sold to the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company (ADWEC) under a 20-year power and water purchase agreement (PWPA). The project sponsors are Marubeni and JGC Corporation, both of Japan, BTU Power Co., and Powertek Berhad.
  On 17 December 2007, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on the Japanese side, and H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates, held the first meeting of the Japan-UAE Joint Economic Committee in Tokyo and reached the following conclusion:
  
  

  “The two sides shared concern over the instability of the oil market and reiterated their common view that the stability of the world oil market is a cornerstone for the sound growth of the world economy. In this regard, both sides decided to further promote bilateral cooperation in the energy field, based upon mutually complementary relationship between the UAE, with its large hydrocarbon resources, and Japan, with its advanced energy-related technologies. Both sides recognized the fact that Japanese private sector's technologies and activities in the UAE have been playing important roles in development of the UAE economy. They reaffirmed that the bilateral economic relations between the two countries have been built through business transactions by the Japanese corporations in various fields, starting from the energy sector, such as oil trade, upstream concessions and renewable energy projects, as well as the infrastructure development in the UAE. Both sides also recognized that diversifying economic activities between the two countries would be very important for further deepening mutual relationship. Recent developments in these fields include the followings: Japan Oil Development Co. Ltd. (JODCO) and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) fund the Petroleum Institute (PI); International Petroleum Investment Company made direct investment in Cosmo Oil Co. Ltd.,; Japanese companies participate in renewable energy projects; and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) advance with their financial cooperation.”
  
  

On October 19, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Ruwais Power Company P.J.S.C. (RPC) signed a loan agreement to finance the Shuweihat S2 Natural Gas-Fired Combined Thermal Power and Water Desalination Project. The loan was co financed with financial institutions including Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Corporate Bank, and the Sumitomo Trust and Banking Company.
The project will generate about 16% of the total power supply and 12% of water supply in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in 2011 and is therefore expected to play a significant role as a supply source of power and water in the Emirate.
Abu Dhabi has embarked a two year project to learn more about the coral issue. The Coral Reef Restoration Program was launched in March 2010 in association with Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT) and Japan Oil Development Company (JODCO).
Nakheel and the Taisei Corporation have announced a joint research program in an effort to develop new technologies to test sea grass transplanting at The Palm Jebel Ali. Introducing sea grass plantation technologies can further enhance that, providing a rich ecological marine environment in which fish and other sea life can thrive and additionally stabilize the coast.

Curent GCC – US Environnemental and Renewable Energies Collaborations

• Bahrain
  Wind farms could be built in Bahrain following tests by a Japanese company.
  The Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority chairman Dr Abdulhussein Mirza, speaking at a Bahrain Historical and Archaeological Society lecture said that the wind speed test results are expected soon and a wind plant could be built depending on the results.
  A US company, Petrosolar has also been called in to look at the potential for solar energy in Bahrain, a report on the Trade Arabia News Service said. The minister said Bahrain was set to build two new 'hybrid' power plants for solar and wind energy at a cost of around $8 million producing 5MW each. The country is also expected to enter into a fuel deal with the Russian giant Gazprom.
• Kuwait
  In November 2010, Kuwait's Equate Petrochemicals Co. launched the oil-rich Gulf state's first green carbon project, which will use more than 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.
  Under the scheme, Equate, a Kuwait-US joint venture, will capture CO2 emissions which will then be carried by a pipeline and injected into a special plant under construction, Equate president Hamad al-Terkait said.
  The plant is set to start operating in 2012 and will reduce CO2 emitted by Equate, a large petrochemicals company, by between 60 to 70 percent annually. In April 2010, the US oil company Chevron and a local firm Green Gulf signed a memorandum of understanding to test solar energy technology. Despite the similarities in the nature of environmental problems of the GCC and Japan there has been little collaboration between these countries in dealing with environmental issues. Recently, however, there has been a marked improvement with Japan taking the lead in bridging the gap between the problems and the available support and solutions. The most prominent example is the "Initiative for Kuwait-Japan Cooperation on Environmental Issues and Technology Transfer" in December 2002, one of which achievements is the Environmental Rehabilitation of Kuwait Bay.
  To quote the Joint Statement between the State of Kuwait and Japan:

  The Kuwaiti side expressed its appreciation for the Master Plan of the Environment Protection Policy of the State of Kuwait in November 2004. Both [Kuwait and Japan] expressed their willingness to promote and support the KIDS ISO 14000 Program in Kuwait in a consistent manner.
  
  In a similar vein, the two sides confirmed that the international community should share common but differentiated responsibilities regarding the global warming issue. In this regard, the Japanese side expressed its intention to promote its cooperation at both governmental and private levels to face the global warming. Recognizing the benefits of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) that contributes to combating the global warming as well as achieving sustainable development in Kuwait, both sides affirmed the importance of the role played by the private sector in promoting CDM projects.
  
  http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/middle_e/pmv0704/joint_kuwait.html
  
  

• Saudi Arabia
  The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) entered into an agreement in 1977 with the U.S. Department of Interior's (USDI) Office of Water Research and Technology for technical cooperation in desalination. Under this agreement, a Joint Team of desalting specialists from SWCC and USDI was formed to work on two major projects under the oversight administration of H.E. the Governor of SWCC.
  One of these projects is the establishment of a Research, Development and Training Center to train Saudis in the operations and maintenance of desalting plants, and to carry out R&D directed to the water needs of the Kingdom, thereby lowering the operating and maintenance costs, and increasing the reliability of SWCC plants. The other is a technology development program for very large MSF plants.
  In October, 1977, Saudi Arabia and the United States signed a project agreement for cooperation in the field of solar energy (SOLERAS). The Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) has been designated as the Operating Agent for the SOLERAS Program.
  
• Oman
  Oman is expected to choose between several nominated sites for its first solar power project, which will be a combination of photovoltaic (PV) and thermal solar power.
  Four possible sites have been identified as suitable for the use of PV solar, parabolic troughs and solar tower technology.
  Oman's Public Authority for Electricity & Water has been working on the project since appointing advisors in September 2009. Australia’s Worley Parsons and Macquarie Group, along with Chadbourne & Parke of the USA have been involved in assisting the Authority.
  The project will have a capacity of between 500-100 MW and is the outcome of a ministerial committee that has been established to oversee the development of renewable energy in the Sultanate.
  
• Other Countries
  Although beyond the scope of the GCC, evidence of Japan’s efforts to further inter-regional cooperation can also be found in the Iraqi Marshlands Project to rescue the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East. Due to upstream dam construction and drainage operations by the former Iraqi regime since the 1970s, the damage done by the collapse of the regime in 2003 had almost entirely destroyed the rich biodiversity and unique cultural heritage of the marshlands. Despite re-flooding that has since occurred in some areas, the water is still unsafe for use due to limited water flowing, and poor wastewater and water quality management practices.
  Commenced in August 2004, the UNEP project aims to “support the sustainable management and restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands, by facilitating strategy formulation, monitoring marsh conditions, raising capacity of Iraqi decision makers, and providing water, sanitation, and wetland management options on a pilot basis.” (UNEP)
  Japan demonstrated strong support for the project with contributions in terms of funding.
  The International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), located in Japan, is carrying out the project implementation. Since its inception in 1994, IETC has supported EST promotion. It is part of UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics (UNEP DTIE).

Future Collaborations: Cooperation in Renewable Energies GCC-Japan

• Qatar:
  Qatar and Japan are keen to promote business activities in the field energy efficiency and renewable energy. As agreed by Asian Ministers at the 3rd Ministerial Energy Roundtable in Tokyo last year, co-hosted by Qatar, there is a vast untapped potential throughout Asia for energy efficiency and renewable energy, both in producing and consuming countries, and business is the key driver to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.
  It was also pointed out that the forum will stimulate the private sector-driven cooperation in the field of energy conservation and renewable energy technology and contributes to strengthen the friendly relationship between Japan and Qatar.
• Saudi Arabia:
  In the fields of solar energy, Solar Frontier, a Japanese thin film solar company with big plans (and a 100 percent subsidiary of Showa Shell), announced that it will supply Saudi Aramco with 10 megawatts of CIS solar modules for a car park installation in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The installation will be one of the largest photovoltaic-covered parking lots in the world, at approximately 40 acres when completed by the end of 2011.
• United Arab Emirates:
  The UAE is backing new initiatives to minimize the negative environmental impact of urban development. The Cool City Concept, using available green technology in transport, urban development and architecture with a low carbon footprint, is being promoted by the Sustainable Urban Development Consortium for Japan and Gulf States Partnership (SDCJ). Cool City would consume up to 60% less energy than a conventional urban area by using cutting-edge technologies tried and tested in Japan.
  In January 2009 Masdar Clean Tech Fund and Japan’s SBI Holdings Inc have agreed to each put up $10 million to create a first fund to invest in firms involved in solar, wind and other alternative energy, SBI officials said. Each firm would receive around $2 million.
  In 2010 Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multifaceted renewable energy initiative, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Japan’s Cosmo Oil Company and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have launched an advanced concentrated solar power (CSP) Central Tower research and development project at Masdar City.
  The state-of-the-art, collaborative research project will test an innovative ‘beam down’ technology, which has the potential to convert solar irradiation into electricity in a more efficient way than other technologies - producing a commercially viable ‘beam down’ process would represent a significant breakthrough in (CSP) technology.
  In March 2010, it was announced that the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has established a Representative Office in Abu Dhabi. The company is currently promoting large-scale renewable energy development projects and environment-friendly social infrastructure leveraging its revenues from petroleum resources. In the near term, MHI will mainly target projects involving CCS coupled with enhanced oil recovery and next-generation transportation systems. The new office will function as a base for dynamic, locally tailored information gathering and business development activities. It is planned to move to Masdar City.
  In June 2010 Abu Dhabi’s Masdar has appointed the consortium of Total and Abengoa Solar as a partner to own, build and operate the 100 MW Shams 1, the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant and the first of its kind in the Middle East.
  The joint venture between Masdar (60 %), Total (20 %) and Abengoa Solar (20 %) will develop, build, operate and maintain the plant, which will be located in Madinat Zayed, approximately 120 km southwest of Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  Construction on the concentrating solar power plant is set to begin during Q3 2010, and is expected to take approximately two years.

Why renewable energy?

The unsustainable nature of fossil fuels is not just a well-known fact, but also a worrisome factor in planning for the future. In preparation for the day the Earth runs dry of hydrocarbon, the world has begun its shift toward renewable alternatives for energy sources. But beyond need for energy sustainability is a greater necessity to protect the global population from the effects of emissions generated through the burning hydrocarbons - global warming and climate change.

As can be seen from the above studies of each region’s vulnerabilities, climate change’s impact on the Earth’s population can have devastating impacts if the causes remain uncontrolled. Problems like desertification and water shortage are all linked to climate change, and can profoundly impact the way of life for those affected. With rising oil prices, it is also increasingly unaffordable to be completely dependent on hydrocarbons for everyday energy needs.

In fact, there is a great opportunity for cooperation between GCC and Japan in the field of renewable energies. As seen from the graphs below Japan is a world leader in various types of renewables. GCC is keenly looking to diversify its energy sources especially from solar and wind sources. Thus is a win-win situation that will even strengthen the economic and political relation between the two parties.

Market Leaders in Renewable Energy Technology

Despite the ideal environment for the utilization of solar energy as an alternative to burning fuel, the GCC states are still nearly 100 percent dependent on oil and gas for electricity. With the rapidly growing population of cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi due to increasing numbers of expatriates and foreign workers, the stress on energy supply would only increase their carbon footprint and sacrifice fuel exports in order to meet domestic demand. There is a considerable lack of effort to integrate the use of renewable energy despite the GCC states’ ability to afford the developments. It is only in very recent years that incremental effort has been made to include solar powered parking meters, offshore buoys and water heating in hotels.

A move towards ecologically friendliness by the UAE is the Masdar Initiative in Abu Dhabi. Masdar City will have a sustainable, zero-carbon, zero-waste ecology relying entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources. This exemplary initiative will be the beginning of greater advancement in the direction of finding solutions to the problems of exhausting hydrocarbon resources and climate change.

Conclusion:

GCC-Japan joint environmental projects are no doubt few and far between at the moment. The lack of inter-regional cooperation is understandable in some cases, as the geographical distance between states may make environmental collaboration more practical to be carried out with neighboring states that share resources instead of across the globe. However, some problems are a common responsibility, such as the global commons like air and water, and even more so for issues like climate change. In these areas where the problems are not isolable it is important to emphasize cooperation and a collective effort to reduce the negative effects that humans have on these elements.

Promoting environmental collaboration may seem to be a peripheral priority in political exchanges, but it is an incentive as well as a tool for nurturing better bilateral relations. It can also pool the efforts and resources of scientists and researchers to hasten the search for solutions to common environmental problems. Furthermore, with the push for alternative energy solutions, the growing market for renewable energy could prove to have strong commercial interest for businesses in the energy industry. Joint environmental projects to improve renewable energy technology could expedite the process of development and provide markets for these new technologies.

In light of the mounting concerns about climate change and human causes such as GHG emissions, environmental projects in future could very possibly focus on renewable energy. The next section is dedicated to exploring how renewable energy could be the next big thing in environmental cooperation.

As countries become more directly involved with each other through trade or otherwise, so will the effect they have on each other’s backyards. Knowing that this is true, collaboration between GCC-Japan countries needs to move beyond economics into another realm previously relatively neglected: environmental management.

In fact, as Japan and GCC countries are perusing the sustainable development path which is a must in Islamic culture as the Islamic rule is “Loss and harm prevention, or avoidance, comes before benefit making”. So we are looking for a balanced and unrestrictive development which avoid or mitigate various negative environmental impacts. It is a must that countries cooperate together in environmental issues that will not our earth planet a better place to live but also create a lot of business opportunities for both sides, help to fight climate change, food crisis, energy crisis, desertification and so on. Generally areas of cooperation in environmental filed are quite big which can cover issues, for instance, like Environmental Consultancy, desalination, clean technologies, land, bidiversty and marine protection projects and most important is renewable especially Solar and wind.

References:

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World Bank (2007). The Little Green Data Book 2007. Development Economics Data Group and the Environment Department, World Bank. The World Bank: Washington, D.C. Retrieved 9 July 2008 from the World Bank Web site: siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEEI/936214-1146251511077/21329572/LGDB2007.pdf

World Bank (2008). The Little Green Data Book 2008. Development Economics Data Group and the Environment Department, World Bank. The World Bank: Washington, D.C. Retrieved 10 July 2008 from the World Bank Web site: siteresources.worldbank.org/ENVIRONMENT/Resources/LGDB2008.pdf

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Website following that was accessed during Month of November 2010:

"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_in_Japan"

http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=6§ion=0&article=130632&d=3&m=1&y=2010

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Japan"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Japan

http://knowledgeoman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11043

http://newenergynews.blogspot.com/2007/12/abu-dhabi-japanese-partner-on-beam-down.html

http://www.bcsr.gov.bh/BCSR/En/News/1+Nov+2009.htm

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9C2FVB80&show_article=1

http://www.constructionweekonline.com/projects-422-ras_girtas_power_water_plant_in_qatar/

http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/201006206297/Science-Health/fog-collection-project-mitsubishi-combating-desertification-in-oman.html

http://www.globalwaterintel.com/archive/11/3/general/japanese-bet-on-saudi-membrane-market.html

http://www.globalwaterintel.com/archive/6/5/general/taweelah-b-closes-with-a-little-help-from-japan.html

http://www.grc.ae/?frm_action=search_result&fn=adv&frm_pageno=&sec=Research+Program+search+result&sec_type=h&frm_module=researchprograms&PK_ID=&override=Research+Program+Detail&op_lang=&word_type=all&search_val=environment&frm_cnt_type=1&frm_res_prog=81&frm_country_type=108&fdate=&tdate=

http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/03/japan-and-saudi-arabia-desalination/

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-saudi-arabia-courtesy-of-solar-frontier-and-solfocus/

http://www.iloveqatar.net/forum/read.php?28,11566,11566

http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/026996.html

http://www.jbic.go.jp/en/about/press/2008/0806-01/index.html

http://www.masdar.ae/en/mediaCenter/newsDesc.aspx?News_ID=132&fst=mc&nws=1

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093297130

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=5748.php

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Japan-ENVIRONMENT.html#ixzz189hRjWsh

http://www.omansamachar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22249:japanese-firms-present-seminar-on-water-related-technology&catid=155:oman-tribune&Itemid=533

http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/display/articledisplay/4302507286/articles/middle-east-energy/Volume_7/Issue_2/departments/news/Masdar_appoints_partners_for_Sham_1_solar_project.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUST3441920090123

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/18435

http://www.tradearabia.com/news/ENV_174596.html

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Trio_team_up_for_Saudi_nuclear_projects-1207104.html

www.albawaba.com

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