HBKU seminar discusses role of natural gas in global energy transitions

The College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) organised an online seminar recently to examine key subjects from the new book “The Palgrave Handbook of Natural Gas and Global Energy Transitions”. The event also marked the global launch of the book in the presence of the editors, Dr Damilola S Olawuyi, associate dean for research and Unesco chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at HBKU’s College of Law, and Dr Eduardo G Pereira, founding partner of the International Energy Law Training and Research Company, and the International Energy Law Advisory Group. Several of the contributing authors also participated in the session.The seminar examined the important role of natural gas in global energy transitions, and analysed how gas rich countries, including Qatar, can leverage their comparative advantages as safe, reliable, and sustainable suppliers. As an authoritative reference work, the Palgrave Handbook analyses case studies from every major world region to understand recent innovations and outline future strategies. The event included a keynote address by the executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber, N J Ayuk. Sharing their learned insights were Omran H al-Kuwari, chief executive officer of Qatar Foundation International; Prof Elisabeta Smaranda Olarinde, FCArb, FCAI, vice chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Nigeria; Dr James Henderson, director of the Energy Transition Research Initiative, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies; and Dr Miriam R Aczel, postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. The speakers elaborated on the book’s themes, touching on the emerging transition risks in the natural gas industry, and the latest legal, policy, fiscal, contractual, and sustainability innovations in natural gas markets across the world in response to these risks. Resilience planning, low-carbon business models, green procurement, climate-smart infrastructure development, accountability, gender justice, and other sustainability safeguards are, according to the authors, among the measures needed to maximise the full value of natural gas, both to catalyse a just and equitable energy transition and ensure energy security across the world.Dean Susan L Karamanian, College of Law said: “The seminar offered a wealth of expertise to better understand the unfolding complexities of the transition in global energy markets, which are set out in more detail in the Palgrave Handbook. Congratulations to Dr Olawuyi and Dr Pereira on their timely work and thanks to our leading panel of authors for their thoroughly informative presentations, which highlighted the central role of the law in enabling the energy transition while advancing environmentally sustainable economic development.” Dr Olawuyi, added: “Globally, a growing energy demand coincides with the need to accelerate a just and clean energy transition. The uniquely comprehensive scope of our discussions, which we expand on in the book, has brought to light the important role of natural gas in the clean energy transition. The ongoing technology innovations in the natural gas industry offer a broad scope for much needed future research.”