Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Head of the Higher Committee for the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), launched the first set of SGI environmental initiatives at its inaugural annual forum. SGI will also monitor the impact of initiatives that have been previously announced.
In his opening remarks, HRH the Crown Prince announced a diverse set of initiatives in the Kingdom as a roadmap to protect the environment and address climate change challenges while achieving SGI’s ambitious targets.
HRH the Crown Prince further added that the first wave of initiatives that will deliver against the targets under the Saudi Green Initiative include programs that aim to achieve more than 278 Mtpa carbon emissions reduction by 2030.
This is more than doubling delivery against the emissions reduction target set forth at the announcement of the Saudi Green Initiative earlier this year. The Kingdom will also join the Global Methane Pledge to contribute to cutting global methane emissions by 30% by 2030, as part of its commitment to deliver a cleaner, greener future.
HRH the Crown Prince said that the Kingdom will plant 450 million trees and rehabilitate 8 million hectares of degraded lands by 2030, reducing 200 million tons of carbon emissions with additional initiatives to be announced in the years to come. The transformation of Riyadh into one of the world’s most sustainable cities is already underway, with an extensive set of sustainability solutions that will be outlined at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum.
HRH the Crown Prince further went on to state that an increasing area of land is being designated for protection in the coming years, to achieve the first 20% of the goal to protect over 30% of the Kingdom’s total land area, with initiatives to deliver the final 10% to be announced at a later stage.
HRH the Crown Prince announced that Saudi Arabia aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2060 through the Carbon Circular Economy approach. This is based on the Kingdom’s critical role in confronting shared international issues, its belief in the need for collaborative efforts to confront climate change and the necessity of the green transformation to deliver social and economic prosperity to the Kingdom.
HRH the Crown Prince continued by stating that Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach net zero emissions aligns with the Kingdom’s economic diversification and development plans and the “Dynamic Baseline” for emissions reduction.
The transition to net zero carbon emissions will be delivered in a manner that preserves the Kingdom’s leading role in enhancing the security and stability of global energy markets, particularly considering the maturity and availability of technologies necessary to manage and reduce emissions.
To further amplify its protection of terrestrial, marine and coastal environments, HRH the Crown Prince announced that Saudi Arabia is joining the Global Ocean Alliance, establishing the Ocean Exploration Foundation and announcing a number of initiatives – including a Global Center for Tourism Sustainability.
HRH the Crown Prince added that this first set of initiatives represents over 700 billion Saudi riyals contributing to the growth of the green economy.
HRH the Crown Prince continued by saying that “The Saudi Green Initiative will provide huge investment opportunities for the private sector, quality job opportunities for the next generation of leaders in the Kingdom and enhanced international relationships that will have a positive impact on the region and the world.”