Why should the GCC consider investing in alternative energy? The Gulf nations have enough energy of their own for the foreseeable future, so why dismantle a lucrative and historic revenue stream? There are, however, three powerful reasons why we should not ignore the current interest in alternative energy. First, there are the investment opportunities, and last month’s launch of Standard & Poor’s alternative energy index — in which 50 companies from 13 countries with a combined market capitalization of $512.5 billion are represented — is the latest indicator of this potential. Secondly, there is climate change. Traditional energy producers cannot ignore the obvious and by now globally-accepted evidence that our world is changing — heating up and melting down — due to man’s over-reliance on fossil fuels. Thirdly, there are security concerns. The Middle East cannot escape the fact that it is a region with many energy eggs in one
