Gulf laggards catch the sun

Qatar and Bahrain are joining their neighbours in the development of low-carbon projects

Financial and reputational imperatives have spurred Qatar and Bahrain to launch major new low-carbon projects as they look to reduce the carbon intensity of their economies. The two countries have until now lagged their neighbours in the development of low-carbon projects. Qatar has vast reserves of low-cost gas, which it exports in the form of LNG—reducing the financial incentive to develop renewables projects. Meanwhile, Bahrain has been slow to act because of chronic fiscal strains and bureaucratic sluggishness. Qatar’s updated submission to the UN on its Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement in October last year pledged a 25pc reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissi