KUWAIT CITY, Dec 3: Secretary General of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), Jamal Al-Loughani, emphasized on Tuesday that the increasing global attention to environmental issues and climate change aligns with international efforts to reduce emissions from various energy sources.

Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on the sidelines of a training course titled Building National Capacities in Member States in the Field of Preparing and Calculating Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Energy Balance, Al-Loughani highlighted OAPEC's commitment to environmental initiatives. The two-day course, which concluded recently, saw the participation of over 300 representatives from member states.

Al-Loughani stated that the General Secretariat of OAPEC continues to work toward unifying visions and strategies on environmental and climate change issues. He noted that the oil and gas sectors are integral to developing practical and realistic solutions for the transition to clean and sustainable energy.

He underscored the importance of utilizing fossil fuel sources while employing clean technologies to control emissions, a strategy that would contribute to achieving global net-zero targets by 2050. He added that fossil fuels would remain part of the broader transformation towards balanced, gradual, and responsible energy solutions.

Al-Loughani described the course as the third in a series of specialized programs designed to enhance national capacities in member states. These courses, developed by the General Secretariat, aim to support training and capacity-building initiatives while improving statistical expertise.

The primary objective of the course, according to Al-Loughani, is to assist specialists in energy ministries and statistical agencies across Arab countries in calculating carbon dioxide emissions from energy balances. The course also aims to enhance statistical skills and establish practical procedures for data collection, aligning these processes with international standards.

Furthermore, he highlighted OAPEC’s dedication to advancing its operations and activities by enriching its information bank with up-to-date data, information, and official statistics. This, he explained, would support the preparation of specialized studies and research. "The availability of detailed statistics will undoubtedly aid in calculating carbon dioxide emissions from the energy balance," he concluded.