Abu Dhabi meeting to discuss oil challenges

Energy officials and experts from the UAE and other countries will gather in Abu Dhabi next month for a conference that will focus on challenges facing oil demand against growing global environmental moves. The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), one of the most prominent research institutions in the region, is organizing the November 8-10 conference at its headquarters in the Capital. “The intensifying global quest for low-carbon energy solutions has failed to undermine demand for oil and gas, which is projected to continue growing strongly in the years ahead,” ECSSR said in a statement. “However, many of the leading oil-consuming countries have already adopted targets for reducing their dependency on imported fossil fuels while simultaneously pursuing alternative energy sources including, in some cases, nuclear energy. This changing global landscape has raised important questions about the long-term future of oil and its role in the world economy.” The statement said the ECSSR’s 16th Annual Energy Conference would examine the emerging challenges of the oil era and subsequently both the role of oil as a primary source of energy and its place in the broader energy equation. The first day of the conference will identify key factors shaping the present discourse on oil and consider the dynamics of global demand and the resulting implications for Middle Eastern producers. The discussion will also cover the significance of climate change and its consequences for oil policies worldwide, the statement said. “Furthermore, the drive for new energy technologies will be evaluated in terms of its repercussions for the energy sector.” It said the second day would be devoted to an in-depth discussion of the interplay between oil and the global economy, followed by an investigation of oil market trends in the context of the changing realities of the world order. The third day will seek to determine the future of oil by assessing its prospects in the shifting global energy system of the 21st century, it said. “The conference will conclude with a discussion focusing on the development and management of the Arabian Gulf’s energy sector, including an analysis of the respective contribution of each source of energy – namely oil and gas, nuclear and renewables – to the region’s future energy mix.”