The Statistical Center of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced on Saturday that the region witnessed a significant increase in rainfall rates, reaching 49.4 percent in 2024 compared to the long-term average of the past thirty years (1980- 2010).
In its comprehensive report, “Climate Statistics for 2024,” the center added that this increase reflects tangible changes in the region’s weather patterns, in addition to other radical shifts in the Gulf’s climate landscape.
Regarding temperatures, the report confirmed thermal stability and exceptional growth in clean energy. The 23 approved monitoring stations across the GCC countries recorded stable maximum temperatures, all remaining below 49 degrees Celsius during the period from 2012 to 2024, with no exceptional temperature increases exceeding this threshold.
In the context of the transition to sustainable energy, the center revealed a “major leap” in the solar energy sector, with the design capacity of solar power plants achieving an annual growth rate of 88.1 percent during the period (2013-2024).
Electricity production from solar energy jumped from 0.13 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2013 to 23.5 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2023.
The center also noted a similar development in the wind energy sector, with design capacity increasing from 4.8 megawatts in 2015 to 567 megawatts in 2024.
The center’s report further highlighted that all GCC countries now possess advanced early warning systems via mobile phones using cellular broadcasting technologies, enhancing their ability to protect lives and property during extreme weather events.
Additionally, all GCC countries have integrated climate change and adaptation topics into their school curricula to ensure the development of sustainable public awareness.
At the international level, the report noted that the GCC countries have demonstrated a firm commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), having submitted 16 cumulative reports to the Convention up to November 2025.
The countries have also set ambitious targets for achieving net-zero carbon neutrality, with timelines ranging from 2050 (for the UAE, Oman, and Kuwait in the oil and gas sector) to 2060 (for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the remaining sectors in Kuwait). Regarding foreign trade in climate technologies, the report highlighted a strategic shift towards China as a primary supplier of mitigation technologies.
Imports from China constituted 99.4% of the GCC countries’ total photovoltaic cell imports in 2024, amounting to US $2.4 billion.
The Statistical Center affirmed the GCC countries’ leadership vision, which prioritizes environmental protection and the sustainability of natural resources in their development plans, while simultaneously strengthening international cooperation to address the challenges of climate change and ensure a sustainable environmental balance for future generations.
The Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), headquartered in the Sultanate of Oman, was established to be the official and accredited body for data, information, and statistics related to the GCC countries, in addition to enhancing the statistical and informational work of national statistical centers and planning agencies within them.
— KUNA
