Are Saudis the bad guys at COP26?

A former colleague Greg Salomon recently posted this quotation for John Lennon on his LinkedIn account: “There are two basic motivating forces: Fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”

That’s the romantic view of how to fix the world. We love it and we want to protect it. Now let’s turn to the realistic view of human nature that was presented inexorably to me by Mishal Alharbi, a senior executive at a Saudi technology-research firm. He once reminded me of a Qur’anic verse which says: “Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, the while they call on their Lord, in fear, and in greed: And they spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on them.” (32:16)

The argument set forward by Alharbi, a Stanford and Texas A&M graduate, was that humans don’t take action unless they fear something or they want to get hold of something. So to fix the world according to this pragmatic view, we need to give humans enough incentives to make them fear the consequences of climate change or become greedy and try to fix the world to gain something material in return.

As a citizen of this world, I don’t care that much about which of the approaches mentioned above we are going to follow to fix the world as long as we fix it. It wasn’t damaged till humans decided to exploit its resources exponentially anyway.

From farmers in rural Africa to workers in a UK factory, every single person is accountable because each person contributes to emissions directly or indirectly.

As a Saudi citizen, I do care about how we are going to fix our world. However, fixing it shouldn’t come at the Saudis or for that matter any other people’s expense.

Therefore, for me to see everyone blaming Saudi Arabia at COP26 is a bit unfair. I’m not going to toe the official line and accuse people of telling lies.

I think there are different political motives and agendas. The COPs aren’t the place for me, you, and the people in the fields growing fruit or raising cattle. It’s a place for politicians and government officials to draft agreements and spend tremendous efforts to play with words to impose or escape legal conditions.

If a country defends its interest, it can’t be called a nation that obstructs negotiations. Without that give and take, what’s the point of having all these representatives of the world’s nations at Glasgow?

Let’s agree on something, Saudi Arabia is an easy target for politicians who like to blame others for things they can’t fix at home, and it’s very clear that many of the Western media outlets don’t like the Saudis and that’s not new or surprising. As much as I’m fed up with all COPs, I’m equally fed up with the stereotypical and biased reporting on Saudi Arabia. Fine, let it be but let’s agree on a few things.

The truth isn’t with the Western media or with the Saudi media. The truth is always halfway.

Wael Mahdi

First, Saudi people aren’t that educated when it comes to saving the planet but that’s not unique to Saudis. It’s not part of the social agenda for billions on this earth and more is to be done in the area if we want to see real change.

Second, let’s understand that when Saudi Arabia sells oil abroad, it uses that money to create jobs elsewhere by importing goods and services. According to OPEC’s annual statistical bulletin, last year, Saudi Arabia’s petroleum exports hit $119 billion compared to $200 billion in 2019, but the Kingdom’s total imports were $138 billion down from $153 billion in 2019, which means even when its income dropped significantly due to COVID19, its imports didn’t fall at the same rate. So hating Saudi for selling oil doesn’t make any economic sense.

Third, Saudi Arabia is changing when it comes to greening the economy. Yes, people outside Saudi Arabia think that whatever Saudis are doing is just another greenwashing attempt. Well, back to the Qur’anic wisdom, it’s the “fear and greed” factor that drives many actions. Saudis know that energy transition is inevitable and the financial world is turning into green finance and they need to stay ahead of the curve at least once in a nations’ lifetime.

 

 

Fourth, let’s agree that COPs meetings won’t solve anything. The change will come from within nations and at a very local level. It’s cities and municipalities that will make a change in this world. It’s businesses and consumers who will lead the trend. That’s why I believe in what Michael Bloomberg has been focusing on for many years.

The keyword is “cities” and the key tool is “education”. This is where we should spend money and effort. We must develop the right technologies, and educate people on the benefits of circular economies, and train businesses on how to be creative and invent solutions.

I like The Red Sea Development Co.’s CEO approach that sustainability is not enough, we need to regenerate the environment.

Finally, why am I defending the Saudi position? Well, I’m a Saudi and I like to say things the way I see them from our perspective. It doesn’t mean I fully agree with the government’s line on everything but also we can’t all view things from the Western media perspective. The truth isn’t with the Western media or with the Saudi media. The truth is always halfway.

Whatever Glasgow will present to the world, we will still be governed with love, fear, and greed.

• Wael Mahdi is an independent energy commentator specializing on OPEC and a co-author of “OPEC in a Shale Oil World: Where to Next?”

Twitter: @waelmahdi