• Primary Program Climate and Sustainability
  • Research Interests Climate Change Policy and Governance, Energy Transitions, Sustainable Energy Policy, Circular Carbon Economy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development Goals, Economic Diversification and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Biography

Mari is a policy-oriented social scientist who has been studying climate change, energy transitions and sustainable development policy in the Gulf and globally for 15 years. At KAPSARC, she leads the projects on carbon markets and Paris Agreement Article 6, and the Circular Carbon Economy Index.

She has worked for other leading energy, sustainable development and foreign policy research institutions, including the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (Earth Negotiations Bulletin), Georgetown University, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, and the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Mari holds a master’s degree in political science and international politics from the University of Helsinki and a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern studies from Durham University.

In addition to a broad research publications portfolio, she has substantial experience in executive training, presentations, policy advisory, and reporting services for multilateral environmental negotiations.

Publications

See all Mari’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Methodology papers
  • Data Insight
  • Instant Insights
  • Commentaries
  • KAPSARC journal articles
  • Think20 (T20)
Closing the Investment Gap to Achieve Paris Agreement Goals

Closing the Investment Gap to Achieve Paris Agreement Goals

This study aims to assess the alignment of global sustainable financial flows with transition investment priorities. First, we identify investment gaps based on the difference between the required annual investment to meet global net-zero emissions (NZE) targets and current investment flows. Our assessment reveals that nearly all countries must significantly accelerate their efforts, as their current investment levels fall short of what is required. Second, and perhaps more importantly, investment gaps are particularly large for non-Annex I (developing) countries. Financing these large-scale investments continues to be a major global challenge. The size of global environmental, social and governance (ESG) finance remains low. Specifically, despite their large investment gaps, developing countries receive only a minor share of global ESG funds, where access to conventional finance is already limited. 

9th October 2023
Lessons from Gulf Cooperation Council Countries’ Participation in the Clean Development Mechanism

Lessons from Gulf Cooperation Council Countries’ Participation in the Clean Development Mechanism

Carrbon markets have rapidly risen on government and corporate agendas in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as the region gears up to implement the Paris Agreement and pursue ambitious net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets. Governments have expressed interest in participating in international carbon markets in their most recent nationally determined contributions (NDCs), various major companies across the region have set ambitious emission reduction targets, and three GCC countries have begun developing voluntary carbon market standards or marketplaces.

6th June 2023
The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2022 – Results

The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2022 – Results

The circular carbon economy (CCE) concept provides a holistic, flexible and pragmatic framework for countries to plan their energy and economic transitions to lower carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emission levels and, ultimately, net-zero emissions. The CCE Index measures countries’ progress in and potential for reaching CCEs. It is a composite indicator comprising 43 individual, quantitative variables or indicators. The datasets underlying each indicator are harmonized across countries and derived from robust and reputable sources.

5th March 2023
The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2022 – Results

The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2022 – Results

The circular carbon economy (CCE) concept provides a holistic, flexible and pragmatic framework for countries to plan their energy and economic transitions to lower carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emission levels and, ultimately, net-zero emissions. The CCE Index measures countries’ progress in and potential for reaching CCEs. It is a composite indicator comprising 43 individual, quantitative variables or indicators. The datasets underlying each indicator are harmonized across countries and derived from robust and reputable sources.

10th November 2022
The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Circular Carbon Economy: Progress and Potential

The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Circular Carbon Economy: Progress and Potential

Over the past year, all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have updated their medium-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets by submitting revised nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Aramco have also announced net-zero emission targets. Work is now beginning to develop more detailed roadmaps and implementation plans, some elements of which are already laid out in the updated NDCs.

14th June 2022
The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2021 – Results

The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2021 – Results

There is an urgent need to align global carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions with climate-safe trajectories. A broad range of technologies and approaches are needed to achieve this cost-effectively and equitably. The circular carbon economy (CCE) concept provides a holistic, flexible and pragmatic framework for countries to plan their respective contributions toward the commonly agreed climate goals.

29th December 2021
The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2021 – Methodology

The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2021 – Methodology

The Circular Carbon Economy Index (CCE Index) aims to measure countries’ progress in and potential for achieving circular carbon economies (CCEs). The CCE Index is based on two sub-indices: one for measuring countries’ current performance in the various dimensions of the CCE and the other for gauging how countries are positioned to make progress toward the CCE, based on key enabling factors. The CCE Index also allows for additional comparisons among top oil-producing countries through a separate set of add-on indicators that estimate how these countries’ industrial performance and business environments are aligning with the CCE.

2nd November 2021
The Circular Carbon Economy Index – Methodological Approach and Conceptual Framework

The Circular Carbon Economy Index – Methodological Approach and Conceptual Framework

The circular carbon economy (CCE) approach, developed during Saudi Arabia’s G20 Presidency and endorsed by G20 leaders and energy ministers, can be used as a framework for holistic assessments of all available energy and emission management technologies within the confines of a global carbon budget. KAPSARC’s Circular Carbon Economy Index project, launched in 2021, will develop a composite indicator (index) that measures and tracks country performance and potential on various dimensions of the CCE to support related policy discussions and planning.    

28th June 2021
Oman’s Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

Oman’s Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

In July 2021, Oman submitted its second nationally determined contribution to the Paris Agreement on climate change (NDC). In the NDC, Oman pledges to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 7% relative to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario by 2030. Oman’s first NDC, from 2015, had contained a 2% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target, based on a different BAU scenario.          

23rd November 2021
COP 26 Outcomes and Opportunities for Saudi Arabia and Other Arab Countries

COP 26 Outcomes and Opportunities for Saudi Arabia and Other Arab Countries

The 2021 Glasgow Climate Change Conference, also known as COP 26, took place at a difficult juncture. Countries are still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. The concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere continue to rise, and extreme weather events are compounding socioeconomic vulnerabilities across the world (WMO 2021).

13th February 2022
What Drove Saudi Arabia’s 2020 Fall in CO2 Emissions?

What Drove Saudi Arabia’s 2020 Fall in CO2 Emissions?

In June 2021, the energy data provider Enerdata released its initial estimates for Saudi Arabia’s 2020 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The data indicate that the Kingdom’s CO2 emissions from fuel combustion decreased by 3.3%, from 508.3 million tonnes of CO2 (MtCO2) in 2019 to 491.8 megatonnes of CO2 (MtCO2) in 2020.  

29th December 2021
Paris Agreement Article 6 and Geological CO2 Storage: The State of Affairs After COP 28

Paris Agreement Article 6 and Geological CO2 Storage: The State of Affairs After COP 28

This KAPSARC commentary focuses on the role of CCS within the market mechanisms defined in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. It discusses how related technologies fit under Article 6 and examines the current progress in implementing this article. The analysis draws insights from the CCS-specific provisions of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which is part of the Kyoto Protocol and aimed to facilitate carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction projects in developing countries. These provisions are revisited as a foundational reference, offering a valuable perspective into the methods and processes necessary for integrating CCS into the market mechanisms of the Paris Agreement. The commentary concludes with an assessment of the next necessary steps to enable the development of CCS crediting projects under Article 6.

17th March 2024
Balancing China’s Energy Security and Its Transition to Carbon Neutrality

Balancing China’s Energy Security and Its Transition to Carbon Neutrality

At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s seventy-fifth session held on September 20, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that China would reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. This is seen as a significant step in the global efforts to fight climate change, and the goal has swept through China. Carbon peaking and carbon neutralization have become buzzwords across government, academia and the business world.

10th April 2022
How the Circular Carbon Economy Index Can Serve Policymaking: Case Study of Saudi Arabia

How the Circular Carbon Economy Index Can Serve Policymaking: Case Study of Saudi Arabia

The Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Index is a tool developed by KAPSARC for energy and climate policymakers and stakeholders to quantify and compare country performance and potential on the CCE. The CCE is a relatively new concept. It aims to draw attention to the need to address carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions holistically by using all available mitigation options cost effectively, through reducing, recycling, reusing and removing carbon or carbon dioxide emissions.

2nd November 2021
Measuring to Manage: The Case for Improving CO2 Monitoring and Reporting in Saudi Arabia

Measuring to Manage: The Case for Improving CO2 Monitoring and Reporting in Saudi Arabia

To support the transition to a circular carbon economy, there is an urgent need to develop robust domestic systems of carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) monitoring and reporting in the Kingdom. Such systems provide the essential evidence base for domestic climate policymaking. Developing them will also be crucial in helping Saudi Arabia achieve its reporting commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change from 2024 onward and gain international recognition for its CO2 mitigation efforts.

13th July 2021

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