Scorching heat shows need for more green energy experts in Gulf

As intense scorching conditions persist in Gulf countries, demand is likely to rise for specialists in the alternative energy sector, experts said.

Also, they urged greater protection for workers amid the record high temperatures and as countries transition to greener economies.

Anis Khayati, an economics professor at the University of Bahrain, said amid the huge challenges Gulf countries are facing due to climate change, there is a lack of qualified personnel to help integrate climate models for future planning.

He also expects job opportunities in the petroleum sector to decrease and green economy jobs to become more attractive.

"Specialists in the alternative energies sector (such as) water desalination, bioenergy, geothermal, solar, hydroelectric and wind will have better employment prospects," said Khayati, adding that technology will also change the demands of the labor market.

Between mid-June and September each year, oil-producing Gulf countries－Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates－ban workers from working outside for about four hours starting from noon, to prevent heat stress or sunstroke and various summer diseases.

Rima Habib, professor of environmental and occupational health at the American University of Beirut, said it is mostly outdoor workers who are affected by the increasing temperatures in the Gulf region because their shifts are "twisted".

"Instead of working like any other person during the day and sleeping at night, and having a normal life like other people, they cannot do that because they have to take advantage of the night," Habib said.

According to an International Monetary Fund report titled "Feeling the Heat: Adapting to Climate Change in the Middle East and Central Asia", climate change is inflicting crippling losses in those regions.

"In any given year since 2000, climate disasters have killed more than 2,600 people, affected 7 million others, and caused $2 billion in direct material damage," the report said.

In recent years, Gulf countries have been trying to diversify their economies, moving away from oil dependence in an attempt to meet climate goals and national visions.

Actions taken

Khayati noted that Gulf countries have been quick to direct action and investment toward clean and renewable energy production and allocating funds for research into climate change mitigation technology.

He cited the UAE's hosting of the Regional Dialogue for Climate Action in April last year, Saudi Arabia's Green Initiatives, and Kuwait's road map for alternative energy projects which targets 15 percent of renewable energy-sourced power by 2030.

"If you look at Gulf visions, climate change has always been a central priority for the UAE and across the Gulf countries. And managing labor migration, specifically the worker welfare, has been a central piece of their vision for 2030," said Froilan Malit, managing director of online human rights and migrant policy research platform Rights Corridor.

"I think the key challenge to their national vision is partly, I would say, the foreign policy effect of it," said Malit, adding that economies in the Gulf are still in a labor-intensive phase, with cheap labor and a lack of technological development.