Minister of Electricity and Water, Dr. Mishaan Al-Otaibi, affirmed that “green and clean energy, which has emerged globally and spread internationally, has found a place in the State of Kuwait, which has drawn up plans to introduce it and rely on it at a rate that I consider satisfactory, which is 15%.” This came in his speech delivered on his behalf by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water, Engineer Jassim Al-Nouri, on the occasion of the Earth Hour celebration organized by the Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection on Saturday evening, as part of its participation in the annual global celebrations of Earth Hour.
Dr. Mishaan Al-Otaibi added, “From my governmental position, I would like to emphasize the alignment of the state’s plans and programs with global trends and directions towards relying on new and renewable energy sources. Furthermore, our state plans aim to achieve 151 TPD3T of energy dependence on new and renewable energy sources. At the Ministry of Electricity and Water, we have a programmatic vision that aligns with the global development vision 2030, and we also have a Kuwaiti development vision, Kuwait 2035.“ He stressed that ”Kuwait’s efforts to disseminate the principles and methodology of reliance, or rather the move towards renewable energy, involve spreading and consolidating community awareness through numerous entities, institutions, and media outlets, as well as establishing scientific laboratories and educational and scientific studies. In addition, the state has adopted a program for specializing in and employing environmental science graduates. All of this contributes to establishing a progressive mindset towards alternative energy sources.”.
For her part, Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab, President of the Environment Society, stated that “the Society’s organization of Earth Hour virtually is a first globally due to the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the call for everyone to hold events related to this occasion remotely. Under the patronage of the Minister of Electricity and Water, the Society organized a one-hour webinar prior to Earth Hour entitled: ”Climate Change Challenges in the State of Kuwait.” This initiative, sponsored by the Minister of Electricity and Water, Dr. Mishaan Al-Otaibi, stems from the Society’s commitment to participating with the world in its annual celebrations of this event, which is registered with the global Earth Hour organization under the name of the State of Kuwait.” She noted that the Society invited numerous governmental bodies and civil organizations in Kuwait, the Gulf region, and Arab countries to address the issue of climate change and its effects, discuss solutions, and present the efforts and visions of each participating entity. The number of participants exceeded 100, although internet outages prevented many from accessing the event platform. However, they connected through alternative methods, allowing for greater participation.
Dr. Al-Aqab explained that the event included the participation of the French Ambassador to Kuwait, Ms. Anne-Claire Legendre, who delivered an insightful lecture addressing French efforts in the field of climate change, including reliable figures and statistics that contribute to finding solutions to this global issue, noting that M. Sharif Al-Khayyat, Director of the Air Quality Monitoring Department and Head of the Technical Negotiating Delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, delivered a lecture entitled “The Public Authority for the Environment’s Efforts in Implementing the State of Kuwait’s Obligations in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Negative Effects of Climate Change on the State of Kuwait.” He reviewed scenarios of the impact of climate change on the State of Kuwait. In addition, Colonel Engineer Marthad Abdullah Al-Zwaid, Head of the Projects Planning Branch at the Engineering Projects Directorate of the National Guard, delivered a lecture entitled “Applications for Rationalizing Water Consumption in the Kuwaiti National Guard.” This lecture, broadcast live from the site, reviewed the significant efforts in implementing the National Guard’s system for these modern plans, policies, and procedures that contribute to rationalizing electricity consumption, with close follow-up from His Excellency the Undersecretary of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Hashem Al-Rifai, to achieve them. In addition, Dr. Emad El-Din Adly, Scientific Coordinator of the Arab Network for Environment and Development “Raed,” delivered a lecture entitled “Challenges of Climate Change in the Arab World.”.
The head of the Environmental Protection Society explained that the event included an awareness-raising visual presentation through the Society's presentation of an awareness flash prepared by the Society's Environmental Documentation Center about Earth Hour “Let's Accept This Challenge,” reviewing this annual global event and what it includes, which is the call to turn off the lights in thousands of cities and facilities around the world for one hour to protect the Earth from climate change and its negative effects. In conclusion, Al-Aqab called on all participants to turn off the lights in their places and facilities and provide the Society with those pictures for documentation. She thanked His Excellency the Minister of Electricity and Water, Dr. Mishaan Al-Otaibi, the Undersecretary, Engineer Jassim Al-Nouri, the Assistant Undersecretary, Hamoud Al-Roudhan, and the team that worked behind the scenes to make this event a success. Thanks are also extended to all the lecturers and participants.
