Martijn Vlaskamp, Juan de la Cierva Incorporación researcher at IBEI and member of the Observatory, has received funding for a project that explores whether the renewable energy transition can contribute to more political instability in the Middle East and North Africa. The European Union is promoting a sustainable and low carbon economy. An essential part of the transition toward this economy is to reduce the consumption of oil and gas. At the same time, the political stability and economic prosperity of several countries in the region is built on exporting fossil fuels to Europe and elsewhere. In the project “The Implications of Decreasing Fossil Fuels Demand for the Political Stability in the Middle East and North Africa” (OILDOWN), Vlaskamp wants to explore to what extent decreasing demand for these natural resources has contributed to instability in the past and what lessons can be drawn for the renewable energy transition.

OILDOWN is funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain as part of the program “Strategic projects related to the ecological transition and the digital transition”.