With Sudan in Mind
A comment for my last post from Abdulmuhib, got me in to thinking. And wondering. The Arab world seems to be oblivious of Climate Change and the fight against it. In all the forums, protests and demonstrations taking place around the world on Climate Change - the Arab voice has been almost non existent and least heard of. No Arab country or entity seems to take Climate Change seriously. Not even the Arab League. Why is the Arab World so lethargic on such an important an issue? An issue that will effect each and every one of us on this Planet? An issue that's already causing havoc around the World?
Back to Abdulmuhib's comment: 'Yemen has another great resource, as dose Saudia and the other Gulf countries- sun. Oil is bad- it is running out, and it is destroying the planet. Solar energy is healthy, and we won't run out of it for another few billion years. And there's a lot of desert out there.' Precisely. The most abundant resource in the Arab World is the Sun. And as in the Arab World's inaction to the effects of Climate Change, the Arab World is ignoring the use of its greatest and most sustainable resource for energy: the Sun. It's comforting and relieving to know that the U.A.E is planning to build in Abu Dhabi, the biggest, 500 megawatt, solar power plant in the region. I do hope that, as in other ventures and projects that the U.A.E has undertaken and lead the way - the rest of the Arab World will follow; and try to use more and more: Solar power. And then, there is: Sudan.
For me, Sudan is an enigma. Of all the Arab countries, Sudan could easily have been one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest. It has all the necessary resources to achieve that: an educated and hard working people, abundant arable land, abundant water and many minerals. And plenty of sunshine. And now: oil. Not only that - Sudan is the only Arab country that, honestly and truly, tried to take a real democratic path. And failed. Why? What went wrong? Why didn't it continue with that democratic process?
Sudan, not only has plenty of oil now; but it too, has one of the world's largest sugarcane plantations: the Kenana Sugar Company. Sugar cane, which ethanol is derived from. Ethanol which seems, now, to be the fuel of the future. Even though Sudan has oil: why doesn't it start an ethanol programme similar to Brazil's? And become an ethanol power? And: like all Arab countries, Sudan has abundant sunshine, which too - Sudan can use to its advantage. Like the U.A.E's wise decision to tap Solar power, though it has huge oil reserves - Sudan too, can exploit its other most important energy resources: sugarcane and the Sun. Imagine what would be of Sudan if it can use all these resources wisely and constructively. But first, Sudan has to get its house in order and in peace.
Footnote: after writing the above, I came across this. Sudan is planning to become a major sugar, ethanol producer. Sudan, which produces 330,000 barrels per day of crude oil, is expected to legalise the blending of ethanol with petrol in July. Brazil, the biofuel leader is co-operating with several African countries on how best to achieve the transition towards bioenergy and biofuels. I understand: 'Sudan is actually teaming up with Brazil to develop ethanol. From next year, when the facility is ready, they’ll be producing 60 million litres a year at Kenana and in the next few years, White Nile Sugar Company will be producing ethanol in the hundreds of millions of litres annually. The country has plans to put in 5% mandatory blending and there’s even a 10-year biofuel plan.'
Back to Abdulmuhib's comment: 'Yemen has another great resource, as dose Saudia and the other Gulf countries- sun. Oil is bad- it is running out, and it is destroying the planet. Solar energy is healthy, and we won't run out of it for another few billion years. And there's a lot of desert out there.' Precisely. The most abundant resource in the Arab World is the Sun. And as in the Arab World's inaction to the effects of Climate Change, the Arab World is ignoring the use of its greatest and most sustainable resource for energy: the Sun. It's comforting and relieving to know that the U.A.E is planning to build in Abu Dhabi, the biggest, 500 megawatt, solar power plant in the region. I do hope that, as in other ventures and projects that the U.A.E has undertaken and lead the way - the rest of the Arab World will follow; and try to use more and more: Solar power. And then, there is: Sudan.
For me, Sudan is an enigma. Of all the Arab countries, Sudan could easily have been one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest. It has all the necessary resources to achieve that: an educated and hard working people, abundant arable land, abundant water and many minerals. And plenty of sunshine. And now: oil. Not only that - Sudan is the only Arab country that, honestly and truly, tried to take a real democratic path. And failed. Why? What went wrong? Why didn't it continue with that democratic process?
Sudan, not only has plenty of oil now; but it too, has one of the world's largest sugarcane plantations: the Kenana Sugar Company. Sugar cane, which ethanol is derived from. Ethanol which seems, now, to be the fuel of the future. Even though Sudan has oil: why doesn't it start an ethanol programme similar to Brazil's? And become an ethanol power? And: like all Arab countries, Sudan has abundant sunshine, which too - Sudan can use to its advantage. Like the U.A.E's wise decision to tap Solar power, though it has huge oil reserves - Sudan too, can exploit its other most important energy resources: sugarcane and the Sun. Imagine what would be of Sudan if it can use all these resources wisely and constructively. But first, Sudan has to get its house in order and in peace.
Footnote: after writing the above, I came across this. Sudan is planning to become a major sugar, ethanol producer. Sudan, which produces 330,000 barrels per day of crude oil, is expected to legalise the blending of ethanol with petrol in July. Brazil, the biofuel leader is co-operating with several African countries on how best to achieve the transition towards bioenergy and biofuels. I understand: 'Sudan is actually teaming up with Brazil to develop ethanol. From next year, when the facility is ready, they’ll be producing 60 million litres a year at Kenana and in the next few years, White Nile Sugar Company will be producing ethanol in the hundreds of millions of litres annually. The country has plans to put in 5% mandatory blending and there’s even a 10-year biofuel plan.'
Comments
It's very sad: all those from Darfur whom I have met are deeply religious. Praying and reading the Quran all the time. I very much hope the Sudanese leadership uses wisdom and vision - and solve their many internal problems.
Solar is a good option; however it will not simply replace all our petroleum consumption. We in the first world will have to re-engineer how we live our lives. Public transit, not private cars; reduce consumption in all areas.
Everybody needs to go back to eating locally produced food. It takes petrol to do big agriculture and ship staples around the world.
And the trend toward eating processed foods (chips and snacks, pre-made foods from factories) is really bad. It's bad for health, bad for the environment, bad for agriculture in the long term.
I have Yemeni friends here in California. The mother cooks great food traditional style - Yemeni breads, stews, rice, salads. However they buy commercial bread and chips to send in the children's lunches to school so they will be like the other kids. They let the kids eat all this candy and terrible stuff. If they ate their mother's cooking only, they would have a great diet.
One more thing about solar - how about the solar oven? Google "solar oven plans" to find directions for all manner of easily constructed ovens that can cook meals using only the sun. = no photovoltaics needed, they use reflectors and glass or plastic.
Thanks for raising this issue about the ARab world and climate change. Global warming will cause great suffering in the Arab world. We need to think about these issues (and quit using so much energy)
But then, if in the end - Sudan and the other Arabs will be buying and importing Ethanol or other substitutes from out - why doesn't Sudan produce the Ethanol? The US is already thinking more of Ethanol. At the same time, Arabs should think of Climate Change and more of using and trying to find cleaner, environmentally friendly energy resources.