FEATURE
FROM THE SOFTWARE ARCHITECT TO THE CIO , DIGITISATION MUST BE UNDERSTOOD AND ANALYSED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SUSTAINABILITY .
The Middle East stands at a fork in the road . Normally forks in the road present quandaries , but this one is a no-brainer : sustainability or disaster ?
According to PwC ’ s Strategy & team , if the region takes the sustainable road , it could reap US $ 3 trillion in economic growth and generate more than one million ‘ future-proof ’ jobs by 2030 .
Sustainable , collaborative practices bring growth
The region , Strategy & points out , could be a world leader in planet-saving initiatives , given its potential to tap renewables for the purposes of carbon-neutral and carbon-negative products that can then be exported . Organisations across the Middle East also have more freedom , on average , than global peers to diversify their energy mixes . Solar power springs to mind .
And the region is leading already . In the Arab Gulf , national economic visions aimed at alleviating petrochemical dependence put renewable energy sources front and centre . Government urgings have driven a trend that has moved the conversation from ‘ green ’ and wholeheartedly embraced the concept of ‘ sustainable ’.
The world ’ s largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power ( CSP ) facility can be found in the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ). Dubai Expo 2020 ’ s self-sufficient Sustainability Pavilion is designed to showcase solar power , smart water consumption and other vital innovations . Saudi Arabia ’ s Red Sea Project describes itself as ‘ grounded ’ in sustainability and the kingdom ’ s Qiddiya development will focus
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