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

Principal Fellow- Climate & Sustainability Mari is a policy-oriented social scientist who has been studying climate change, energy transitions and sustainable development policy in the…

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 17 years. At KAPSARC, she leads research projects on carbon markets and Paris Agreement Article 6, and on 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.

Expertise

• Climate Change Policy and Governance
• Net-Zero Energy Transitions
• Circular Carbon Economy
• Sustainable Energy Policy
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measurement
• Verification and Reporting
• Carbon Markets
• Paris Agreement Article 6

Senior Fellow-Climate & Sustainability Dr. Yilmaz currently works as a senior fellow I in the Climate and Sustainability program. His current research agenda aims…

Dr. Yilmaz currently works as a senior fellow I in the Climate and Sustainability program. His current research agenda aims to enhance our understanding of the financial and economic consequences of the sustainable energy transition and to design effective policies to balance risk and growth prospects.

Prior to joining KAPSARC, Dr. Yilmaz worked as an economist at the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, where he was actively involved in the research and the design of policies for the private and banking sectors. He also worked as a consultant for the World Bank and spent a year as an assistant professor of economics at ADA University.

He has authored various academic and policy articles and attended academic conferences and workshops. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Calgary.

Expertise

• Sustainable Finance and Investment
• Applied Banking and Finance
• Corporate Taxation
• Public Economics
• Applied Micro-Econometrics

Fellow- Climate & Sustainability Thamir is a research fellow in the Climate & Sustainability program. He is currently focused on creating data-driven tools to…

Thamir is a research fellow in the Climate & Sustainability program. He is currently focused on creating data-driven tools to identify and evaluate different energy market scenarios and developing the KAPSARC Circular Carbon Economy Index.

Thamir also acts as an advisor to the broader energy ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the areas of clean energy transitions, sustainability, and carbon emissions management. He is also a member of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

He previously worked as a lecturer in Australia and has entrepreneurial and industrial experience working on award-winning projects such as the Burj Khalifah Building Management System.

Expertise

• Circular Carbon Economy
• Climate Change Policy
• Energy Transitions
• Clean Energy Policy
• Carbon Monitoring
• Energy Efficiency
• Demand Side Management
• Cooling
• Smart Grid
• Smart Meter
• Behavioral Economics
• Nudge Theory
• Digital Transformation