Gulf Arab states, squeezed by climate change, still tout oil

By AYA BATRAWY
Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The global energy transition is perhaps nowhere more perplexing than in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies are caught between two daunting climate change scenarios that each threaten their livelihood. In one, the world stops burning oil and gas to cut down on heat-trapping emissions, shaking the very foundation of their economies. In the other, global temperatures keep rising, at the risk of rendering unlivable much of the Gulf’s already extremely hot terrain. The political stability of the Gulf states is rooted in profits from fossil fuels, despite serious efforts to diversify their economies and attract new forms of investments.