Possessing a fifth of the world’s proven oil reserves, Saudi Arabia has long been synonymous with the petroleum industry, but this is not stopping the kingdom from striving to diversify its energy sources. Renewable sources could account for up to 10 percent of Saudi Arabia’s power output by 2020, an executive from the state-owned national oil company Aramco said. “The proposed target is between 7 to 10% of peak electricity generated by renewables by 2020,” Ahmad al-Khowaiter, director of new business evaluation department at Aramco told Reuters.  

Solar Saudi

The renewable energy would most likely be solar energy, he said, and Saudi Arabia will start exporting solar energy by 2020. Khowaiter said the “strategic move into solar,” could be achieved in 10 years time, when the economy will be in favor of employing solar power.

The kingdom is facing a rapid increase in domestic power demand and is already looking at new ways of creating energy, including nuclear power.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia announced the establishment of a new energy complex, in an effort to diversify its oil-based energy industry. The Riyadh-based King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy will be tasked with research and application of nuclear technology and will oversee all aspects of a nuclear power industry.

Saudi Arabia’s economy is oil-based, with strong government controls over major economic activities. The kingdom possesses around 20% of the world’s proven petroleum reserves and ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum in the world.

OPEC

Saudi Arabia plays a leading role in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and has a petroleum sector that accounts for roughly 80% of its budget revenues, 45% of its GDP and 90% of its export earnings.

But the kingdom’s population growth and energy subsidies have increased domestic consumption of oil and gas, fueling concerns about the future of its energy economy.

“Let us give credit where it is due,” Meena Janardhan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in Dubai told The Media Line. “This is an oil-rich region, and for countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE to announce renewable energy commitments and initiate work towards achieving these goals, are very positive steps. It is not just economic motivation that turns the wheel in this case.”

“There is an ongoing shift in Saudi Arabia and in the region,” Dr. Theodore Karasik, director for research and development with the Dubai-based Institute of Near East and Gulf Military Analysis told The Media Line.

UAE Lead

“It’s significant, because the UAE has taken the lead on this, and of course, the other states want to follow on this path. It’s part of the renewed interest in the environment, and the fact that they need to start moving towards the eventuality of when hydrocarbons run out. It’s 50 years away but that’s also why they’re moving towards nuclear energy. These countries have the highest carbon emissions in the world per capita and so they want to improve that,” he said.

Karasik and Janardhan agreed that the goal of making 10% of Saudi Arabia’s power output based on renewable energy by the year 2010 seemed feasible.

Regarding nuclear energy, some analysts say it is essential for meeting the kingdom’s energy needs.

“Saudi Arabia is using 15% of its oil output currently for producing electricity and desalinization of sea water, and in 10 years’ time it will be using 20% of its oil output for this purpose,” a Saudi political scientist, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Media Line. “Forty percent of the country’s population is under 14 years of age, and will in the near future build families and require more electricity and desalinized water. The petrochemical industry is requiring ever more natural gas,” he said. “Furthermore, nuclear energy costs 60% the cost of hydrocarbon resources, and the third generation [nuclear power] plants are said to be safer than their old[er] counterparts.”

:: Rachelle Kliger for The Media Line

More news from Saudi Arabia:

Who’s Going Nuclear in the Middle East?

Saudi’s Long Love Of Wealth Exhibited At The Louvre

Saudi Arabia’s “Vision Electro” Looks Up to Solar, Not Down to Oil

Image on solar eclipse via the Washington Post

The post Has Saudi Arabia Seen The Renewable Energy Light? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Obesity is on the rise in the Middle East. Many Arabs in the Gulf are now overweight after oil wealth has fueled a sedentary lifestyle and a rise in consumption of unhealthy foods. In Saudi Arabia, even the armed forces are sagging, leading to Deputy Defense Minister Khalid Bin Sultan recently complaining that almost 70 percent of the soldiers are overweight. As a result, people are seeking out dangerous and unhealthy solutions in the form of weight-loss drugs.

Diet pills have become all the rage throughout the Middle East, but physicians are warning against overuse, lack of supervision and harmful side effects. In Egyptian pharmacies, weight-loss pills are sold more than medication for chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, the London-based news site Elaph reported.

Ahmad Diab, a pharmacist in Cairo told Elaph that the increased consumption of slimming pills reflected a “thin craze” among Egyptian women of all ages, who want to be slender like famous movie stars and models.

These drugs usually include appetite suppressors, fat burners or fat absorption inhibitors.

The side effects range from swelling in the stomach, anemia and low calcium levels to inflammation, diarrhea and colon problems. Weight-loss drugs with hormones can also cause heart palpitations and nervous disorders.

However, warnings against the harmful side effects have not stopped the thriving industry of fat clinics and ‘slimming medications’ for women, which promise miraculous transformation into a slender beauty queen, using slogans like: “No fatigue, no strain, no side effects – your slim figure is in your own hands,” or “There is no such thing as an ugly woman, only a woman who does not know how to use her beauty.”

Yasmine Rashidi, a Cairo-based writer and cultural critic, says women choose drugs over exercise or diets because they provide a quick fix. “In a culture like this one, where social gatherings are a core part of life, and where those gatherings all revolve around food, weight-loss medications take on added appeal,” she told The Media Line.

“As a culture, beauty has historically been important to us – look at Cleopatra, for example – but our ideals for beauty have now become much more aligned with those of the West, so skinny is the current standard,” she explained.

“Unlike in America, for example, where health-foods are readily available, and where exercise is a part of the culture and possibly even trendy, it’s not the case here, so weight-loss pills that promise miracles are obviously very appealing. We’re not yet on the organic/detox wavelength here – it’s still just about being ‘thin’ – so the quickest route to that people will take.”

“Ultimately,” she continued, “it’s about belonging and acceptance. I think it’s definitely a sociological trend. I’m sure there are some cases of people taking such pills to fight obesity, but for the most part it’s very much about wanting to be slim – wanting to fit the current trend of beauty and fashion.”

Dr. Madiha El Safty, a professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo, said the fad is in line with global trends: “People are losing weight and it’s fashionable, especially among the younger generation,” she told The Media Line.

The exception in Egypt

Strangely enough, the ideal figure in Egypt is still rounded.

“In Egypt, we always had our own curvy body build. Curves are the preferred type by men, and women are keen to please men,” El Safty said. “Very thin is considered unhealthy because it’s the traditional perception that you’re not properly fed.”

On the other end of the spectrum, being fat, she explained, is more common among the lower classes, where diets are unhealthy and are rich in carbohydrates. The upper classes, however, try to stay slim, which is more in vogue.

Still, problems related to weight-loss drugs exist across the region.

In Iraq, health experts say diet pills have led to cancer, paralysis and even death. The weight-loss drug fad is also fueling conspiracy theories that these drugs are imported to Iraq by imperial powers wishing to harm the Iraqi people by spreading disease.

In most of these countries, there is little supervision, if at all, of the source, safety and effectiveness of these pills, and little knowledge about their side effects.

In Iraq, women are the main consumers of weight-loss drugs and are willing to dish out more money for them, one pharmacist said. The drugs can be purchased from hairdressers, barbershops and market stalls. Few of these vendors can provide any information about the product they are selling.

“All I know is that people want it,” one Iraqi vendor said.

In Lebanon, new weight-loss products are appearing on the market all the time. Some of them are registered with the Ministry of Health and have undergone laboratory tests, while others are unregistered, and are labeled as nutrients or vitamins.

The main market in Lebanon is among women and young girls who are unaware about the associated health concerns and are easily swayed by advertisements, especially in the spring before swim season begins.

In Jordan, women are taking weight-loss drugs despite health warnings that it can cause fertility problems, sleeping disorders, swelling, pain, vomiting and depression.

There too, like in Iraq, the drugs are widely available and can be purchased outside of pharmacies at gyms and beauty parlors.

Appeal to high-powered women

Most of the women who take these pills have high-powered jobs and have trouble finding spare time to exercise regularly or prepare and eat nutritious meals regularly. Some of the drugs are smuggled into the country illegally and there are few scientific studies that can make clear to the public their negative side effects.

Sharoud Al-Jundi Matthis, program manager with the Qatar Diabetes Association confirmed that the weight-loss drug craze in the region was mostly triggered by an increase in obesity levels.

“The Middle East is seeing an incredible increase in obesity due to urbanization and changing of lifestyle,” Matthis told The Media Line. “Changing a lifestyle is easier said than done, which gives rise to ‘quick fixes’ such as slimming pills. The word-of-mouth in the Middle East carries an enormous weight so people tell each other about pills they, their family members, their neighbors, their ‘second cousin once removed’ have taken and it worked wonders, which exacerbates the problem.”

In many Middle Eastern countries slimming pills are loosely regulated, giving rise to a vast market of unregulated and sometimes dangerous pharmaceuticals.

“There are no, or very few, regulating agencies controlling these pills,” Matthis said. “As in the West, most are labeled ‘herbal’ or actually sold under the table with hardly any mechanisms of control present. The biggest problem with them is the lack of control. There are some that are called slimming pills with no ingredients listed, which is very dangerous. Most are not controlled, so the active ingredients are not measured and tested, and the amount in the tablet is not to be trusted. Most varieties are appetite suppressants which can cause lots of problems, especially for people with [high] blood pressure, or heart problems, which many obese people have. It raises blood pressure, causes heart palpitations and affects sleep patterns.”

Rashidi agreed that this was also a problem in Egypt.

“There are all sorts of pills you can get here that you could never get in the US, and people casually buy them over the counter and use them in their own way, not following instructions, not checking first if they are fit to take them,” Rashidi said.

“It’s not just the traditional ‘diet pills,’” she added. “A few years ago, at the time when ephedrine-based Xenadrine had been banned or pulled from the market in the†US, its usage was widespread here. You could buy it at any pharmacy, and young girls were taking it at their leisure, not as an exercise or weight-training supplement. The effect of that is very dangerous. All the regular diet pills are also freely available and widely promoted; I know lots of women who take them on a whim, rather than as a thought-out supplement to a healthy eating program.†Beyond just diet pills, access to medication here is very fluid. ‘Prescription’ means very little in this context.”

In the Middle East people generally do not have sufficient information about the health concerns associated with these pills, she concluded.

“The notion of ‘herbal’ as safe is very prevalent in the Middle East. People’s parents and grandparents may have only taken herbal medication. Some know the dangerous side effects, but will do it anyway. Overall, there is some, but not enough awareness about the dangerous side effects.”

(This article is reprinted from the Mideast News Source – The Media Line)

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It may be an attempt to maintain stability while the ailing president was abroad, or a pre-election clampdown on crime. But whatever the conspirators say, more and more Egyptians are asking: “Where has all the hashish gone?”

Hashish, the once ubiquitous yet illegal substance in Egypt, is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in the country and it’s fueling conspiracy theories and general anxiety. The issue is especially pertinent to the younger generation, the main consumers of the illegal drug derived from marijuana, who resort to the “remedy” as a retreat from their daily troubles.

Egypt amended laws in 1989 making the possession and trade of drugs punishable by life in prison or even death, but this has apparently not reduced the popularity of hashish.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a young Egyptian told The Media Line that its use is “very tolerated,” adding that his police officer friends had even asked him to store hash for them.

With a waning economy, an unclear political future and frequent reports of politically-motivated clampdowns against opposition activists, hashish has become a popular pastime for young people and a way to take a break from the daily rat race.

“It’s very prevalent,” Sam, author of the Egyptian blog Sand Monkey, told The Media Line. “It’s equal to beer use in the U.S.”

The shortage has caused the street prices to soar. Conspiracy theories abound. The talk of the coffee shops is “Where has it all gone?”

“It’s all half jokes and half conspiracy theories,” said the blogger Sam. “But no one really knows anything.”

A recently formed Facebook group in Arabic entitled “Together against the hashish crisis in Egypt” has so far garnered a modest following of 30 members.

“A large number of Egyptians appreciate hashish and these include decision makers, journalists and artists,” according to the group’s manifesto.

Some Egyptians are reportedly tying the mysterious disappearance of the drug to the recent illness of President Hosni Mubarak and his trip abroad. Government officials, according to this theory, wanted to ensure country remained stable until the president’s return and beefed up security along the borders, which in turn has stemmed the flow of drugs into the country, according to the Egyptian daily Al-Youm A-Sabi.

However, Egyptians are skeptical that the authorities will be able to eradicate hashish altogether, the paper reported. This was because too many people in high places have vested interests in the drug trade and have cohorts in the official positions who will help them preserve their interests.

The matter was even discussed on the popular talk show Cairo Today, in which host Amru Adeeb said the word on the street was that a new official in the anti-drug authority was behind the dramatic decline in hashish.

Many estimate that the current shortage will not last for long.

“Word on the street is that the 2010 hash crisis is almost over,” Sam said. “It will fuel animosity among the population only if the hash does not surface.”

He added, cautiously, that signs of a return were imminent, but did not elaborate.

Sharif Hafez, an Egyptian independent liberal activist said the attempts to eradicate hashish were likely linked to the pending legislative elections coming up at the end of this year, and presidential elections next year.

“The state is fighting corruption because it’s entering an election period,” Hafez told The Media Line. “It’s not just hash. They’re also fighting religious corruption. The government is trying to show they’re doing their job.”

Although he supports the efforts to wipe hashish off the market, Hafez said he believed the government was going about it too radically, instead of instituting a gradual clamp down on it.

“They’re fighting hashish to make a society better off, but at the same time this is creating chaos on the street among young people” he said. “However, it’s good to create this chaos because changes aren’t easy, so I support this.”

“But taking it off all at once is not good. It’s too dramatic, especially when you’re not offering them alternatives in terms of better housing, more money and a better economy,” Hafez said.

According to a survey conducted by the Egypt’s National Council for Combating Drugs, the number of drug addicts in Egypt is around 9%, whereas a report conducted by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood suggested that some 16% of university students take drugs.

The quantities of drugs seized in Egypt have risen over the last three years, with 25.5 tons of hashish being seized in 2008 – 40% more than the amount seized the previous year. In 2009, the numbers were on a steady rise, and seizures amounted to approximately 27 tons.

(This story is published, with permission from The Media Line.)

Read more on drugs in the Middle East:
Yemen’s Environmental Problems Blamed on Chewing Gat
Afghan Opium Growers Get the Burn Out
Stop Smoking Stupid!

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